Swedish lawmakers push again for national Bitcoin reserve to hedge inflation

Two Swedish lawmakers have urged the government to consider building a strategic Bitcoin reserve to alleviate concerns around inflation and overreliance on traditional assets like fiat and gold.

Swedish Democrats Dennis Dioukarev and David Perez have filed a motion in the Riksdag, calling on the government to explore the creation of a Bitcoin reserve alongside Sweden’s existing currency and gold holdings. 

In their proposal, the pair also requested assurances that the legal definition of tender within the Riksbank Act would not be altered, signalling opposition to the introduction of a central bank digital currency.

The lawmakers argue that while fiat currencies and gold remain vulnerable to political, geopolitical, and economic pressures, Bitcoin’s value does not depend on the monetary policies of individual nations.

As a result, they see it as a potential buffer in an increasingly uncertain global environment. 

They also pointed to Bitcoin’s fixed supply, low maintenance costs, and role as a deflationary asset as reasons to begin treating it as a serious component of national financial planning.

“Bitcoin is currently the world’s sixth-largest asset, on par with silver and larger than global companies such as Tesla, Meta, and Amazon,” the duo said.

Bitcoin for innovation and reserves

Among their key suggestions was that funding such a reserve could be achieved by retaining confiscated crypto assets rather than liquidating them, allowing Sweden to build a position without tapping into the national budget.

According to Dioukarev and Perez, owning Bitcoin would also send a signal that Sweden is open to digital innovation. 

With over 85 crypto firms operating in the country and dozens of startups, the lawmakers say Sweden has a growing stake in the digital asset space.

At present, Sweden does not hold any publicly disclosed Bitcoin reserves. 

While it is legal to buy and sell cryptocurrencies in the country, and Bitcoin ATMs and exchanges operate under supervision from the Financial Supervisory Authority, there is no official framework recognising digital assets as part of the national reserve system. 

However, legislation passed in 2024 does allow authorities to seize illicit crypto assets, which opened the door for alternative accumulation methods that Dioukarev and Perez recommend the government tap into.

Whether the current motion gains traction remains to be seen. The Swedish Democrats are not part of the ruling government but play a key role in supporting the centre-right coalition led by the Moderate Party.

With more than 20% of the vote in the last election, the party has influence but not direct control over policy decisions. The final decision may come down to how much political will exists within the coalition to explore alternatives to traditional monetary tools.

Bitcoin as democratic financial tool

This is not the first time Swedish lawmakers have floated the idea of a Bitcoin reserve.

Earlier this year, both Dioukarev and Centre Party MP Rickard Nordin sent open letters to Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson, urging her to rethink Sweden’s reserve composition and include Bitcoin. 

At the time, Nordin talked about Bitcoin’s role as a censorship-resistant tool for activists and dissidents and argued that it reflects democratic values that Sweden has long championed.

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