Central Bank Balance Sheets
How much do central banks own?
Everything the US Federal Reserve and the euro area’s central banks hold, mostly government bonds and other bonds they have bought.
Everything the US Federal Reserve holds
The Federal Reserve’s total assets each week, in US dollars. Bitcoin’s closing price on the same days is the white line, with its prices on the far right. Each line has its own scale, so the chart shows when each rose or fell, not by how much.
Everything the euro area’s central banks hold
The weekly total for the European Central Bank and the euro area’s national central banks, in euros. Bitcoin’s closing price in US dollars is the white line, with its prices on the far right. Each line has its own scale, so the chart shows when each rose or fell, not by how much.
Right now
The US Federal Reserve holds $6.7 trillion in assets.
For 4 Nov 2026.
Euro area central banks hold
€5.9 trillion
For the week of 26 Oct 2026.
This is a measure of the wider economy. It does not say where Bitcoin will move.
Understanding
Central Bank Balance Sheets
The US Federal Reserve holds $6.7 trillion in assets as of .
The euro area’s central banks hold €5.9 trillion in assets as of .
What are central bank assets?
Central banks buy government bonds and lend to banks, and everything they hold is counted as their assets. When they lend or buy on a large scale, as the US Federal Reserve did in the 2008 crisis and again in 2020, the total jumps and new money reaches the banking system. When they stop replacing bonds as they are repaid, it shrinks. The euro area is the group of European countries that use the euro.
Why do people look at it next to Bitcoin?
When this total grows, it adds money to the financial system, and some people connect that with rising prices for things like stocks and Bitcoin. The link is loose and has changed over time.
How is it worked out?
Assets are everything a central bank holds: mostly government bonds and other securities, plus loans to banks and, in the euro area, a large stock of gold and foreign currency. The US figure is the Federal Reserve’s weekly total. The euro area figure is the weekly total for the Eurosystem, the European Central Bank together with the national central banks of the euro area. It also steps up or down at the end of each quarter, when its gold and foreign currency are revalued. Dollars and euros stay in separate charts rather than being converted.
What does it not tell you?
A bigger total does not show where the money went, and its link to other prices changes over time. It does not say where Bitcoin will move.
Keep exploring
Source: Maketo, ECB statistics, Federal Reserve Board.