German Government Sold 49,858 BTC in 2024, Missed Nearly $2.5B in Profit

Between June 19 and July 12, 2024, the German government sold 49,858 Bitcoin at an average price of $57,600, earning approximately $2.87 billion. However, with Bitcoin reaching $106,951 by May 21, 2025, the government missed out on about $2.46 billion in potential gains, reflecting an 85.6% price increase in under a year.

According to the Dresden Public Prosecutor’s Office, the sale was classified as a "Notveräußerung" (emergency sale) under German law to avoid a potential drop of over 10% in BTC value. The BTC was offloaded in small tranches via OTC trades to limit market disruption.

The 2025 price rally was also driven by sovereign reserve accumulation and reduced supply in the Bitcoin market.