Sweden’s justice minister says to ‘turn up the pressure’ on crypto seizures

Sweden’s Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer has called for authorities to "turn up the pressure" on seizing cryptocurrency and other assets suspected to be linked to criminal activity.

This follows a law passed in November 2024 that allows Swedish enforcement agencies to confiscate assets, including crypto, luxury items, and cash, even without definitive proof of a crime, if the owners cannot satisfactorily explain the origins of their wealth.

Since the law's enactment, Swedish authorities have seized over $8.3 to $8.4 million worth of assets suspected to be criminal profits, marking one of Europe's strictest and most aggressive stances on unexplained wealth and digital asset forfeiture.

Strömmer has urged better coordination between the police, tax authorities, and the Swedish Enforcement Authority to focus on cases likely to yield significant seizures, especially in cryptocurrency, real estate, and corporate assets. The move is motivated by concerns over the role of crypto in Sweden’s organized crime, with reports indicating some crypto exchanges act as money laundering platforms for fraud proceeds etc.

Additionally, some Swedish lawmakers, including Dennis Dioukarev, advocate using seized cryptocurrencies to create a national Bitcoin reserve managed by Sweden’s central bank, turning confiscated assets into a strategic economic resource.

However, the government has not clarified what will happen to the seized crypto assets—whether they will be liquidated, held, or added to a reserve.

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