North Korea holds more Bitcoin than Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla.
On Sunday, CoinDesk reported, citing data from blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence, that the Lazarus Group, a hacking organization closely linked to North Korea, currently holds 13,441 Bitcoins, valued at approximately $1.14 billion.
Tesla holds 11,509 Bitcoins, about 16 percent more than North Korea’s. Among publicly traded companies, Tesla ranks fourth globally in terms of Bitcoin holdings.
North Korea has accumulated Bitcoin by targeting cryptocurrency exchanges. Last month, the Lazarus Group hacked the crypto exchange Bybit and stole $1.4 billion worth of Ethereum, some of which was later converted into Bitcoin.
The U.S. government holds 198,109 Bitcoins, valued at over $16 billion. These assets were seized in connection with money laundering and other criminal investigations. U.S. President Donald Trump is using this as a basis to promote the idea of a strategic cryptocurrency reserve.
In the market, attention is turning to how Trump, who has reaffirmed his pledge to make the United States a true Bitcoin superpower and the global capital of cryptocurrency, will respond to North Korean hackers.
