Swiss Bitcoin enthusiasts continue their campaign to introduce the concept of orange-pilling to the nation’s central bank.

A group of Bitcoin enthusiasts based in Switzerland are making a fresh attempt to persuade the Swiss National Bank to hold Bitcoin in its reserves. They plan to hold a referendum to amend the country’s constitution, but they need to gather over 100,000 signatures from Swiss citizens to support their cause. The proponents argue that adding Bitcoin to the central bank’s reserves will safeguard Switzerland’s “sovereignty and neutrality” in an uncertain global environment. Yves Bennaïm, the founder of 2B4CH, a nonprofit think tank leading the initiative, stated that they are currently preparing the necessary documents and organizing the committee to kickstart the process.
The first attempt by 2B4CH to launch the “Bitcoin Initiative” in October 2021 failed to gather enough signatures within the required 18-month timeframe for a referendum. This time, they face the challenge of convincing about 1.15% of the Swiss population, or approximately 100,000 people, to sign the petition.
Luzius Meisser, the president of Bitcoin Suisse, a Bitcoin-focused trading platform, believes that including Bitcoin in the central bank’s reserves will demonstrate Switzerland’s independence from the European Central Bank and enhance its neutrality. Meisser will have a three-minute opportunity to present the advantages of adding Bitcoin to the bank’s balance sheet in a meeting with the Swiss National Bank on April 26.
Previously, Meisser had suggested that the central bank invest 1 billion Swiss francs ($1.1 billion) in Bitcoin each month as an alternative to German government bonds, but the proposal was rejected by the bank’s chair, Thomas Jordan. Meisser now argues that Switzerland would have been 30 billion Swiss francs ($32.9 billion) wealthier if the central bank had followed his suggestion in 2022. He warns that delaying the decision could allow other central banks to enter the Bitcoin market, driving up prices and making it more costly for Switzerland to acquire the digital asset.
While some experts, like Leon Curti from Digital Asset Solutions, believe that the recent approval of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds in the United States and Hong Kong might influence the Swiss National Bank’s decision, others remain skeptical. However, the article mentions that Joana Cotar, a German politician and Bitcoin activist, responded positively to the news, opposing a European Union-backed digital currency.
The article concludes by mentioning that the author reached out to 2B4CH for comment but did not receive an immediate response.