Sweden's Government to Sell Seized Bitcoin in Open Auction
The Swedish government is to hold a week-long bitcoin auction, starting today, with 0.6 BTC for up for grabs.
:format(jpg)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/coindesk/4KDWE3DIGFFUXBKYD4RMNDLMME.jpg)
A government agency in Sweden dedicated to debt collection is auctioning off some bitcoin this week.
The agency said that it would begin the auction today, which is scheduled to last through next Thursday, and called for interested parties to reach out about participating.
Johannes Paulson, the agency's operations developer, said in a statement:
With the move, Sweden becomes the latest government to auction off holdings of the cryptocurrency.
The U.S. government, for example, held several auctions of bitcoin it obtained through its investigation of the now-defunct dark market Silk Road. As previously reported, the government has only just taken possession of the proceeds from those auctions following a long legal fight with convicted Silk Road operator Ross Ulbricht.
Editor's Note: Some of the statements in this article have been translated from Swedish.
Auction hammer image via Shutterstock
DISCLOSURE
Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.
The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG.
Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk’s longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.