Tone Vays Warns of Potential Bitcoin Seizure by US Authorities

The concentration of Bitcoin in the hands of major American companies poses risks of centralization, and US authorities could become a new threat to the asset. This opinion was shared by renowned trader Tone Vays in a conversation with Max Bit. 

According to the expert, major market participants currently control about 3-4 million BTC, which is 15-20% of the total supply of digital gold. Strategy owns over 600,000 BTC and stores them on Coinbase. BlackRock manages more than 1 million BTC through iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT). 

“All these companies hold Bitcoin ‘for the people,’ but over one weekend, the American government could take them for itself. Therefore, storing them this way is extremely dangerous,” Vays stated. 

He drew a parallel with 1933, when during the Great Depression, US authorities seized gold from banks and citizens, exchanging it for cash. The trader believes a similar scenario could unfold with Bitcoin.

When US Authorities Might Target Bitcoin

Vays predicted that in 2033, the United States will face an economic crisis, including the collapse of the dollar. In these conditions, authorities, in his view, might resort to seizing Bitcoin to stabilize the situation. 

“The US government announced the collection of voluntary donations to pay off national debt through Venmo and PayPal. Today it is voluntary, but tomorrow they might start coercing. They could approach even Michael Saylor and ‘suggest’ sharing Bitcoin,” he speculated. 

In the interview, the trader mentioned the case of Changpeng Zhao. Vays suggested that the founder of Binance was released from prison thanks to transferring part of his assets to the authorities. 

According to him, Bitcoin’s price will rise until 2028. The trader expects the digital gold’s rate to climb to $145,000, but then fall to $90,000. He advised new investors to wait for the next cycle (2028–2029) to enter the market. 

“I am not sure Bitcoin will survive 2032-2033. I think by then the government will confiscate it. I believe the US will collapse by that time—the country might split into several parts, the dollar will crash. And they will seize Bitcoin, just as they once seized gold. If your Bitcoin is stored with you, you might somehow manage. But the price of Bitcoin could plummet after confiscation,” Vays emphasized. 

Earlier, CryptoQuant analyst pointed out a fundamental shift in the distribution of Bitcoin capital. 

Read about how far US authorities might go with the first cryptocurrency in the “Long of the Month”: