The Lazarus Group, a hacking entity linked to North Korea, possesses more bitcoin (BTC) than Tesla (TSLA), the electric vehicle manufacturer led by Elon Musk, as per data provided by Arkham Intelligence.
As of the latest update, Lazarus controls 13,441 BTC valued at $1.14 billion, according to Arkham Intelligence’s data. This amount is 16% greater than Tesla’s bitcoin reserves, which stand at 11,509 BTC.
Recently, the Lazarus Group targeted the crypto exchange Bybit, extracting $1.4 billion in ether (ETH) from the platform. Notably, some of the illicitly gained assets have been converted into bitcoin, with 12,836 BTC dispersed across 9,117 distinct wallets, as confirmed by Bybit’s CEO Ben Zhou.
Tesla has maintained its bitcoin holdings since acquiring them four years ago, ranking as the world’s fourth-largest publicly traded company in terms of BTC inventory.
The stark difference between Tesla and the Lazarus Group comes amid former President Donald Trump’s favorable view of cryptocurrency, which has ignited discussions for enhanced BTC adoption among corporations and nations globally.
Last Thursday, Trump reiterated his goal of positioning the U.S. as the “undisputed Bitcoin superpower and the crypto capital of the world.” In light of this, it will be intriguing to see how Tesla and other American companies react to this overshadowing by a North Korean hacking organization.
In contrast, the U.S. government currently holds 198,109 BTC worth over $16 billion, which represents coins collected through law enforcement actions. Trump also recently referred to this as a strategic reserve.
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