Roswell, New Mexico—a city long shrouded in alien folklore—has made an unexpected splash in the cryptocurrency world. Through a string of community donations, Roswell’s municipal Bitcoin wallet has accumulated approximately 0.173 BTC, currently valued at nearly $13,312. The news, highlighted by blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence, transforms Roswell into a surprising case study for crypto adoption at the local government level.
How did Roswell build its Bitcoin reserve?
Roswell first captured global attention in 1947, after the U.S. Air Force announced the discovery of a “flying disc”—an incident later attributed to a weather balloon. Despite official explanations, the event cemented Roswell as a nexus for UFO theories and drew sustained pop culture interest. This quirky history added a humorous twist when the city became the talk of cryptocurrency circles with its Bitcoin initiative.
In 2025, Roswell’s municipal council broke new ground by formally establishing a Bitcoin reserve, making it the first American city to publicly hold a crypto fund. The inaugural donation came on April 29, 2025, when 3,050,323 satoshis—about 0.0305 BTC, worth $2,906—were added to the city’s digital treasury.
“Roswell, New Mexico now boasts a BTC reserve worth nearly $13,000, consisting entirely of public donations,” Arkham Intelligence shared on social media.
Following this initial contribution, a wave of anonymous, multi-source donations poured in from various wallets, including addresses linked to retail users and platforms like Robinhood. These generosity-driven inflows pushed the reserve up to 0.173 BTC in a matter of months.
The city’s Arkham profile stands out with a logo and avatar inspired by an alien mascot—a nod to Roswell’s extraterrestrial reputation. The very first donation receipt features signatures from Deputy Mayor Juliana Halvorson and Guy Malone, a noted member of the Bitcoin community.
Arkham’s records indicate that the Bitcoin on the city’s blockchain address has not been withdrawn or sold. Instead, the wallet’s value has risen solely through BTC’s price appreciation, not through new purchases or trading activities.
Glossary: Arkham Intelligence is a blockchain analytics firm specializing in monitoring wallet activity and uncovering the real owners behind blockchain addresses.
Roswell’s HODL law: The 10-year rule
To ensure prudent management, the Roswell City Council introduced regulations forbidding the sale or cashing out of its Bitcoin reserve for at least 10 years. Furthermore, if the fund ever exceeds $1 million, only up to 21% may be spent each year, and withdrawals are limited to once every five years. The council designated just two purposes for using these funds: assisting elderly residents with water bills and providing disaster relief.
With its clear policies and transparent reporting, Roswell’s unusual crypto reserve has sparked animated debates on digital asset forums. In a cheeky entry, Arkham’s blog pondered whether Roswell might now be home to “the first alien Bitcoin reserve.” As the city quietly amasses BTC in the wake of its 1947 UFO notoriety, both irony and amusement have colored global reactions from the crypto community.
CoinDelisi, a prominent crypto analyst, also remarked that Roswell’s donation-driven Bitcoin stash has quickly become a running joke in blockchain circles, fueling witty commentary and memes.
Official UFO reports shed new light
In 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense established the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) to investigate unexplained aerial phenomena. The agency’s 2024 report, summarizing 80 years of collected evidence, stated that no credible proof of alien involvement had surfaced, nor had any reverse engineering of extraterrestrial vehicles taken place on U.S. soil.
On February 21, 2026, President Donald Trump ordered that government agencies publicly release relevant documents. In response, throughout May 2026, the Pentagon disclosed numerous files and videos, reigniting public fascination with Roswell’s enduring blend of crypto and UFO lore.
