With Nicolás Maduro's grip on power loosening, Venezuela's opposition leader María Corina Machado is back in the spotlight. And she's bringing an interesting economic proposal with her: Bitcoin (BTC) as a cornerstone of Venezuela's future financial system.

Bitcoin as Venezuela's Economic Lifeline

Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her democracy advocacy work, isn't just a casual crypto enthusiast. In a 2024 interview, she described Bitcoin as a "lifeline" for Venezuelans struggling through hyperinflation that turned the national currency into little more than colorful paper.

Her vision goes beyond personal use. Machado has floated the idea of incorporating Bitcoin into national reserves for a "new" Venezuela, positioning the cryptocurrency as a legitimate tool for economic reconstruction rather than just a crisis workaround.

A Country Already Deep in Crypto

Venezuela isn't starting from scratch here. The country has organically become one of the world's most crypto-active nations, driven by necessity rather than speculation. Citizens scrambled to stablecoins and Bitcoin to preserve purchasing power, while the government itself turned to Tether (USDT) and Bitcoin to sidestep international sanctions.

The numbers tell the story: Venezuela logged nearly $45 billion in cryptocurrency transaction volumes between July 2024 and June 2025, according to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. That performance pushed Venezuela above both Japan and Argentina in Chainalysis' 2025 Global Crypto Adoption Index.

The Mystery Bitcoin Stash

Here's where things get interesting. Venezuela might already be sitting on a substantial Bitcoin pile, though nobody seems to know exactly how much.

Project Brazen, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported that Venezuela could be holding as much as $60 billion in BTC. That's a massive number. On the other end, Bitcointreasuries.net offers a far more conservative estimate of 240 BTC, worth about $22 million at current prices.

The discrepancy between these estimates is enormous, which tells you everything about transparency in Caracas these days.

The U.S. Seizure Speculation

CNBC even floated the possibility that the United States could seize Venezuela's Bitcoin reserves and fold them into America's own Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. That move would theoretically be bullish for the broader market, though the legality of such an action remains highly questionable.

The Political Reality Check

All this Bitcoin talk assumes Machado actually gets to implement her vision, which is far from certain. Venezuela is currently led by Delcy Eloína Rodríguez, Maduro's deputy, not Machado.

Polymarket bettors are pretty skeptical about Machado's immediate prospects. They're giving her minimal odds of being recognized by the United States as Venezuela's legitimate leader anytime soon. Still, Machado told Fox News she's committed to returning to Venezuela and pursuing her political goals.

Price Action: At press time, Bitcoin (BTC) was trading at $90,974.85, up 0.22% over the past 24 hours.