Saylor floats US crypto framework with $81T Bitcoin reserve plan

MicroStrategy founder Michael Saylor has proposed a Digital Assets Framework for the United States that includes establishing a Bitcoin reserve he claims could create as much as $81 trillion for the country’s Treasury.

“A strategic digital asset policy can strengthen the US dollar, neutralize the national debt, and position America as the global leader in the 21st-century digital economy,” Saylor said in a Dec. 21 X post.

Saylor’s crypto framework proposes establishing a strategic Bitcoin (BTC) reserve “capable of creating $16 to $81 trillion in wealth for the US Treasury “to potentially offset national debt.”

Under Saylor, MicroStrategy has amassed over 439,000 BTC, currently worth well over $41 billion, which has sent the company’s stock price soaring this year alongside the cryptocurrency. He also tried to pitch Microsoft to buy Bitcoin, an idea that its shareholders killed.

Saylor’s proposal defines six distinct categories: digital commodities such as Bitcoin, digital securities, digital currencies, digital tokens, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and asset-backed tokens.

The framework aims to establish clear roles for issuers, exchanges, and owners while emphasizing that no participant can “lie, cheat, or steal” and defining specific rights and responsibilities for each participant type.

It also provides a streamlined compliance approach and proposes compliance cost limits with a maximum of 1% of assets under management for token issuance and 0.1% annually for maintenance.

“Digital asset regulation must prioritize efficiency and innovation over friction and bureaucracy,” the proposal stated while advocating for industry-led compliance rather than direct regulatory oversight.

It also stated that the US has an opportunity to “catalyze a 21st-century capital markets renaissance, unleashing trillions of dollars in value creation.”

It aims to dramatically reduce issuance costs from millions to thousands and expand market access from 4,000 public companies to 40 million businesses with an emphasis on rapid asset issuance. 

Finally, the crypto framework aims to help position the US dollar as the global reserve digital currency. It also aims to expand global digital capital markets from $2 trillion to $280 trillion, “with US investors capturing the majority of this wealth.”

Related: MicroStrategy’s Saylor hints at first Bitcoin purchase above $100K

“By establishing a clear taxonomy, a legitimate rights-based framework, and practical compliance obligations, the United States can lead the global digital economy,” the proposal concluded. 

However, serial Bitcoin detractor Peter Schiff said the proposal was “complete bullshit,” before adding that “The proposal would do the opposite. It would weaken the dollar, exacerbate the national debt, and make America a laughing stock.” 

MicroStrategy is the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin and has an aggregate portfolio profit of 54%, according to SaylorTracker. 

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