Swiss National Bank (SNB) Officially Rejects Calls to Add Bitcoin to Its Reserves

Despite growing pressure from the local crypto industry, the SNB cited concerns about stability and security.

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has officially rejected proposals to add Bitcoin to its reserves. Despite growing pressure from the local crypto industry and a national initiative to modify the Swiss Constitution, SNB Chairman Martin Schlegel stated that cryptocurrencies lack the quality requisites his institution demands for currency reserves.

Rising Pressure From Local Cryptocurrency Industry

According to reports by Point Global on Friday, January 19, concentrating on topics covered by Reuters, supporters of cryptocurrency have been lobbying for the SNB to begin holding BTC. They claim that the apex bank should pursue reserve diversification.

Central banks should prefer more protective measures for their holdings as economic turmoil, such as that arising from President Donald Trump’s tariff implementation, demands it.

The Switzerland national referendum process has been launched to modify the Swiss Constitution and allocate a portion of the SNB’s reserves to Bitcoin. The proposed constitutional amendment would combine Bitcoin with traditional assets such as gold in the Swiss National Bank’s reserve portfolio. To proceed with this initiative, a national referendum requires that 100,000 Swiss citizens submit their signatures by June 30, 2026.

However, Chairman Schlegel strongly rejected this proposal during the SNB’s annual shareholder meeting in Bern. Schlegel stated that cryptocurrency does not meet the reserve criteria needed for currency reserves at present. He highlighted several issues, beginning with market liquidity. The Swiss National Bank requires immediate readiness to perform swift market transactions in foreign currencies. The Bitcoin market lacks stable factors that provide sufficient assurance for this requirement.

Furthermore, Schlegel pointed out that cryptocurrencies exhibit extremely rapid price variations. The substantial market {{{fluctuations}}} in Bitcoin tend to induce uncertainty over whether it can effectively preserve Switzerland’s monetary reserves. He emphasized that stable reserves form a cornerstone of financial security for the country.

On the other hand, crypto advocate Luzius Meisser argued in favor of Bitcoin during the meeting. Meisser, from the Bitcoin Initiative, described Bitcoin as a distinctive asset platform. He believes that the value of Bitcoin, which he described as a "non-inflationary, decentralized, and scarce digital asset," would not appear substantial during typical situations.

However, Meisser predicted that Bitcoin would matter significantly in times when public debt trust ceases to exist while the world evolves toward a multi-power structure. He envisioned scenarios such as the collapse of the U.S. dollar or the disintegration of the European Union, stating that people would then turn to fundamentally sound assets like Bitcoin.

"If the house is burning, the painting matters less than whether you can escape with your life," Meisser said, comparing Bitcoin to a valuable painting that might be lost in a burning house.

Swiss National Bank Remains Uninterested In Bitcoin

The Swiss Federal Chancellery authorized the proposal to modify the Swiss Constitution and allocate a portion of the SNB’s reserves to Bitcoin on December 31, 2024, launching a six-month period for collecting signatures. The supportive group, "The Bitcoin Initiative," is rushing to collect enough signatures for the pending referendum.

While the SNB maintains its resistance to national adoption of Bitcoin, private businesses in the country continue to welcome the cryptocurrency. Among these businesses are Spar Supermarkets, which have taken an ambitious step forward as part of their operations.

A Spar supermarket situated in Zug, Switzerland, has recently launched Bitcoin as a payment option for customers. This development makes Spar one of the first supermarket chains in Switzerland to introduce the possibility of paying with Bitcoin at checkout.

Therefore, even as the central bank is juggling concerns over stability and liquidity, Bitcoin is gradually entering the realm of daily life solutions. Several companies and customers are now integrating Bitcoin payments for everyday transactions, which could be seen as a transition towards digital currency.