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Brazil Enacts Law Allowing Seized Crypto to Support Public Security

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Brazil’s lawmakers have equipped public security agencies with a new instrument in the fight against organized crime: the ability to repurpose confiscated cryptocurrency to fund policing efforts. Law No. 15.358, approved by the National Congress and published this week, creates a legal framework that treats digital assets as instruments of crime that can be seized, restricted from exchanges, and redirected to support police operations.

The measure extends a police toolkit beyond traditional cash and property, allowing authorities to forfeit crypto assets tied to criminal activity and, with judicial authorization, deploy those assets for police reequipment, training, and special operations. The law signals a coordinated approach to asset recovery that could involve cross-border cooperation with international authorities, reflecting Brazil’s aim to address crypto-enabled crime on a global scale.

Key takeaways

  • Crypto assets tied to criminal activity can be treated as crime instruments, enabling forfeiture and prohibiting related transactions on exchanges.
  • Confiscated assets can be used provisionally for police equipment, training, and special operations, subject to judicial oversight.
  • The law enables Brazil to cooperate with international authorities on investigations and asset recovery, including cases involving digital assets.
  • Observers note the potential implications for public finances, given Brazil’s large population and widespread use of crypto among its citizens.
  • Parallel policy debates in Brazil include discussions about a national Bitcoin reserve, with proposals that have reemerged in recent years.

What the law changes for enforcement and asset recovery

According to a translation of Law No. 15.358, the forfeiture framework treats any asset used to commit a crime as an instrument of the crime, even if it was not designed exclusively for illicit purposes. The law clarifies that forfeited assets and valuables may be used provisionally by public security agencies to bolster police capabilities, subject to authorization from the judge supervising the sentence’s execution. This creates a clearer path for authorities to liquidate or reallocate crypto assets recovered in criminal cases to fund policing priorities.

The forfeited assets and valuables may be used provisionally by public security agencies for police re-equipment, training, and special operations, subject to authorization from the judge overseeing the execution of the sentence.

Beyond domestic enforcement, the legislation contemplates closer coordination with international partners for investigation and asset recovery. Brazil’s authorities argue that cross-border cooperation will be essential to dismantle crypto-enabled crime networks that span multiple jurisdictions. With a population exceeding 213 million and a growing footprint of crypto activity, observers say the law could have material implications for how the state finances its security apparatus and how offenders face consequences that extend to digital assets.

The move also arrives amid ongoing public-policy debates about crypto and taxation. Reports have indicated that Brazil’s Finance Minister, Dario Durigan, signaled a plan to delay talks on crypto tax reform to avoid deep political divides and would push discussions beyond the presidential election set for October. That stance adds a layer of political uncertainty to Brazil’s broader approach to crypto regulation, even as enforcement authorities pursue aggressive asset-recovery tools.

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In parallel, Brazil has faced notable enforcement activity in the crypto space. TRM Labs’ 2026 crypto crime report highlights a sprawling laundering and foreign-exchange evasion network in 2025 that allegedly moved tens of billions of reais via shell companies, OTC brokers, and non-custodial wallets. The case underscores why authorities view robust asset-recovery mechanisms as a potentially meaningful lever in countering sophisticated crypto-enabled crime networks.

Brazil’s evolving regulatory landscape and competing priorities

Brazil’s legal approach to seized crypto sits alongside broader debates about the country’s financial sovereignty and digital assets. A separate line of discussion has concerned whether Brazil should establish a national Bitcoin reserve. A proposal that first surfaced in 2024 reappeared in 2025, with lawmakers revisiting the framework to potentially allocate a portion of the treasury toward purchasing Bitcoin. Earlier reporting suggested options ranging from as little as a few percentage points of treasury reserves to up to one million BTC, though it remained unclear whether the measure would secure sufficient support to advance.

The tension between empowered enforcement tools and broader fiscal policy remains a defining theme. While the confiscation and redeployment of crypto assets to bolster public security represent a practical application of confiscated assets, the BTC-reserve concept embodies a strategic, macro-level bet on crypto as a state asset. Analysts note that even if a reserve remains aspirational, the mere progression of such discussions can influence how Brazil’s financial markets and crypto businesses price risk around policy clarity, taxation, and asset custody frameworks. For now, the law’s immediate impact centers on seizures, forfeiture, and the use of crypto proceeds to support law-enforcement capabilities rather than building a centralized digital-asset stockpile.

As with any regulatory shift, the practical effects will depend on implementation details, judicial oversight, and the tempo of cross-border cooperation. The law provides a framework, but courts, prosecutors, and international partners will shape how aggressively crypto assets are seized, liquidated, or repurposed. Investors and users should watch how authorities operationalize the mechanism in real cases, including which asset classes are most frequently targeted and how proceeds are tracked and accounted for in public security budgets.

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For those tracking Brazil’s crypto policy arc, the connected policy threads—tax reform timing, enforcement clarity, and the possibility of a national BTC reserve—will be key to understanding the country’s longer-term stance on digital assets. The mix of aggressive asset-recovery powers and cautious tax policy signals a pragmatic, enforcement-driven approach in the near term, coupled with strategic questions about crypto’s role in national finance.

Readers should keep an eye on forthcoming judicial decisions that interpret and operationalize Law No. 15.358, as well as any administration-level statements clarifying the government’s stance on crypto taxation and asset reserves. The cross-border dimension will also hinge on cooperation agreements with other jurisdictions, which could set precedents for how Latin American countries coordinate on crypto-for-crime investigations in the years ahead.

References to related developments, including Brazil’s Pix payment system expansion and shifts in crypto-tax conversations, offer context for the broader regulatory environment. For example, coverage of Pix expanding to Argentina and discussions around crypto taxation provide a backdrop against which this new forfeiture framework operates. Meanwhile, TRM Labs’ findings illustrate the scale of criminal-funding networks that asset-recovery measures aim to disrupt.

As Brazil moves forward, market participants and citizens alike should watch how the law is applied in concrete cases, the speed of international cooperation, and whether broader fiscal proposals—such as a potential Bitcoin reserve—advance in tandem with enforcement measures. The coming months could reveal how Brazil balances security objectives with the growing integration of crypto into daily life and the national economy.

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Risk & affiliate notice: Crypto assets are volatile and capital is at risk. This article may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure

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50% Supply-in-Profit Drop Preceded 655% Rally

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Bitcoin’s on-chain picture remains centered on profitability dynamics, with the total supply in profit holding near a historically significant zone. As of Thursday, CryptoQuant data show about 60.6% of BTC supply in profit, placing the market in a band (roughly 50% to 60%) that has repeatedly framed cycles and potential accumulation phases. The metric briefly dipped to 50.8% on Feb. 5—the lowest since Jan. 2, 2023—leaving a sizable portion of holders at or near breakeven and at a potential loss.

Historical echoes are often cited by traders when profitability enters this range. In January 2023, BTC traded around $16,682 with profitability near 51%, just before a pronounced rally that CryptoQuant’s analysis notes as mirroring a pattern later seen in a multi-hundred percent upmove. A separate moment in March 2020 saw the total supply in profit slip below 50% as BTC hovered near $6,500, ahead of a bull run that pushed prices toward $69,000 in 2021. While past patterns can offer context, they do not guarantee future outcomes; profitability alone does not pinpoint price bottoms, but it does sketch zones where long-term accrual has been strong and selling pressure historically eased.

Key takeaways

  • Bitcoin’s supply in profit stands around 60.6%, a level within the 50–60% zone historically linked to market-cycle resets and renewed accumulation.
  • Long-term holder profitability remains meaningful: the long-term holder net unrealized profit/loss (LTH-NUPL) sits near 0.40, suggesting holders remain in profit even as overall profitability tightens.
  • Institutional and corporate participation has grown, with entities holding roughly 15.8% of circulating BTC (about 3,319,677 BTC), potentially dampening short-term price sensitivity to swings.
  • Short-term holder (STH) inflows to Binance have fallen to about 25,000 BTC on March 25, indicating less reactive selling from newer market participants.
  • Valuation-based on-chain signals (MVRV, NUPL, Puell) are flashing zones associated with stress for retail demand but not definitive bottoms, highlighting a balance of risk and upside potential ahead.

Profitability baselines and market structure

The 50–60% profitability corridor has been a recurring feature across several cycles. When a large share of supply sits in profit, unrealized gains on the network compress, which can reduce the incentive for holders to sell into weakness. In this framework, the market’s current 60.6% profitability suggests a still-robust share of the supply that could weather minor downturns without triggering acute downside selling pressure. Yet the same metric also shows that a meaningful number of investors remain in the red or near break-even, underscoring the persistence of volatility and the potential for renewed demand when risk appetite shifts.

Crucially, the composition of who owns BTC is shifting. The rise of corporate entities and exchange-traded products (ETFs) as significant holders means a portion of the market is increasingly dominated by entities with longer time horizons and lower sensitivity to short-term price swings. In aggregate, these participants are estimated to control around 15.8% of the circulating supply, or roughly 3.32 million BTC. This dynamic tends to flatten peak-forcing selloffs that can accompany prolonged drawdowns, contributing to a market where profitability compression does not necessarily translate into a wave of distressed selling from veteran investors alike.

On-chain signals and market stress zones

Beyond aggregate profitability, on-chain flow metrics add nuance to the picture. Short-term holder activity has shown a meaningful contraction in selling pressure on BTC. CryptoQuant data indicate STH inflows to Binance dropped to near 25,000 BTC on March 25, a low not seen during the February sell-off, according to comments from market analysts. Such a drop points to a cooling in reactive selling from newer market participants and a potential for steadier price action if selling pressure remains subdued.

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Meanwhile, traditional valuation models that analysts watch—market-value to realized-value (MVRV), NUPL, and Puell Multiple—continue to illuminate where stress is most likely to surface. Analysts have observed that when MVRV falls below 1, NUPL slips under -0.2, or Puell Multiple approaches 0.35, those periods have historically coincided with heightened retail stress or undervalued conditions. While these indicators do not guarantee a local bottom, they map out zones where downside risk has often been bounded by prior upside potential, offering traders a probabilistic framework for assessing risk-reward dynamics in the near term.

Taken together, the current on-chain configuration suggests a market moving away from the kind of acute, long-term holder distress that punctuated bear markets in 2015, 2018, and 2022. The divergence between a modestly higher supply-in-profit reading and steady LTH-NUPL points to a market that could see renewed accumulation without triggering uniform, forceful capitulation among long-term investors. In other words, the landscape is shifting toward an ownership mix that may support more measured corrections rather than sharp, cyclical lows.

Related: Bitcoin in ‘later stages’ of bear market: Watch these BTC price levels

What readers should watch next

For traders and investors, the key questions revolve around whether the current on-chain balance can sustain a move higher without retesting lows. The persistence of a sizable profit pool coupled with a growing share of BTC held by institutions could support a gradual re-accumulation narrative, even if price swings remain volatile. Markets will likely respond to macro developments, policy signals, and shifts in risk appetite as much as to on-chain metrics.

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Next steps to monitor include: the trajectory of MVRV, NUPL, and Puell readings as BTC moves through key price zones; any shifts in the distribution of BTC held by corporates and ETFs; and observed changes in STH and overall exchange flows that could presage larger moves in supply held by retail participants. While on-chain data cannot predict exact bottoms, it continues to offer a granular view of where investors are positioned and how that positioning might shape the path of least resistance for Bitcoin in the months ahead.

Risk & affiliate notice: Crypto assets are volatile and capital is at risk. This article may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure

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Nasdaq Tokenization May Split Stock Trading Across Markets: TD Securities

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Nasdaq Tokenization May Split Stock Trading Across Markets: TD Securities

Nasdaq’s push to bring tokenization into capital markets could lead to a dual-market structure in which traditional US exchanges operate alongside blockchain-based trading venues, according to TD Securities — a shift that could split trading activity and lead to price differences across platforms.

In a recent note, Reid Noch, vice president of US equity market structure at TD Securities, pointed to plans by Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange to introduce tokenization into alternative trading systems (ATS), a type of venue that matches buyers and sellers outside traditional exchanges.

While both exchanges are exploring tokenization, Noch said Nasdaq is pursuing three parallel initiatives: upgrading how trades are settled after execution, enabling companies to issue tokenized shares and supporting trading on offshore platforms such as Kraken.

Together, these efforts could result in two distinct systems — one within the regulated US market, and another operating through offshore, blockchain-based platforms.

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However, TD Securities warns the expansion into offshore platforms could introduce a separate venue for trading the same underlying assets. These tokenized shares would be backed by real stocks but operate outside the US regulatory framework, with potential differences compared to traditional holdings.

For investors, that could mean the same stock trading in different places at different prices, making markets harder to follow and potentially shifting activity away from traditional exchanges.

Cointelegraph reached out to TD Securities for additional insights but did not receive a response in time for publication.

The growth of tokenized stocks. Source: RWA.xyz

Related: Crypto Biz: Kraken plugs into the Fed

Tokenized trading moves into the mainstream

The market for tokenized assets has grown quickly in recent years, with equities emerging as the next major focus.

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As Cointelegraph recently reported, Kraken’s xStocks platform, which offers tokenized versions of publicly traded shares that can be bought on blockchain-based venues, has surpassed $25 billion in cumulative trading volume, reflecting roughly 150% growth since November.

Source: Securitize

For traders, this points to a shift toward round-the-clock markets, where stocks can be traded outside regular hours. However, it could also bring new risks, including lower trading activity and price differences across platforms.

Coinbase has also expanded into tokenized stocks as part of its push to build an “everything exchange,” signaling growing competition between crypto platforms and traditional exchanges for equity trading.

NYSE, for its part, has also been exploring other tokenization initiatives through a partnership with Securitize, aimed at developing a platform for tokenized securities that could support extended or round-the-clock trading.

Related: VersaBank expands tokenized deposits with cross-border FX use case

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