Cointime

Download App
iOS & Android

North Korea-Linked Lazarus Group Holds More Bitcoin Than Elon Musk's Tesla

What to know:

  • The Lazarus Group, a North Korean cybercrime entity, holds more bitcoin than Tesla.
  • Last month, Lazarus Group attacked the crypto exchange Bybit, draining $1.4 billion in ether, some of which has been converted into bitcoin.
  • Despite Tesla's significant bitcoin holdings, it has been overshadowed by a North Korean hacker group.

The Lazarus Group, a hacking group closely associated with North Korean, holds more bitcoin (BTC) than Tesla (TSLA), the electric car manufacturer led by Elon Musk, according to data from Arkham Intelligence.

At press time, Lazarus held 13,441 BTC worth $1.14 billion, according to data source Arkham Intelligence. That's 16% more than Tesla's bitcoin stash of 11,509 BTC.

Lazarus Group's bitcoin holdings (Arkham Intelligence)


Last month, Lazarus Group struck crypto exchange Bybit, draining $1.4 billion in ether (ETH) from the platform. Recently, some of the stolen funds have been converted into bitcoin, with 12,836 BTC distributed across 9,117 unique wallets, as Bybit's CEO Ben Zhou confirmed.

Tesla acquired its bitcoin stash four years ago and has been HODLing ever since, making it the world's fourth-largest publicly listed company in terms of BTC holdings.

The striking contrast between Tesla and Lazarus Group emerged even as President Donald Trump's positive stance on cryptocurrency has sparked calls for accelerated BTC adoption among corporations and sovereign nations worldwide.

On Thursday, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to making the U.S. the "undisputed Bitcoin superpower and the crypto capital of the world." Against this backdrop, it will be interesting to see if Tesla and other U.S. corporations respond to being overshadowed by a North Korean hacker.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government holds 198,109 BTC worth over $16 billion, representing coins seized in enforcement actions. Trump recently announced the same as the strategic reserve.

Comments

All Comments

Recommended for you

  • ETH breaks through $2100

    market shows ETH breaking through $2100, currently at $2100.24, with a 24-hour increase of 7.65%. The market is highly volatile, please manage your risks accordingly.

  • BTC falls below $66,000

    the market shows BTC falling below 66,000 USD, currently at 65,996.42 USD, a 24-hour decline of 2.35%, with significant market fluctuations, please manage your risk properly.

  • YesGo Makes Its Public Debut: Joining Forces with Ecosystem and Industry Leaders to Usher in a New Era of On-Chain Native Commerce

    Hong Kong, February 11, 2026 – As one of the most visionary cross-sector dialogues held during Hong Kong Consensus Week, the YesGo Ecosystem Partner Meeting concluded successfully yesterday. This closed-door event, spearheaded by YesGo and co-hosted by Nexus Chain and compliant digital asset exchange CoinMy, brought together a select group of global ecosystem partners, industry KOLs, and media representatives.

  • The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits last week was 227,000.

     initial jobless claims in the United States last week were 227,000, estimated at 224,000, previous value was 231,000.

  • BTC breaks through $68,000

     the market shows BTC breaking through $68,000, currently at $68,023.93, with a 24-hour decline of 1.36%. The market is highly volatile, please manage your risk accordingly.

  • [Consensus HK] ENI CEO Arion Ho: Decentralization is an Engineering Choice, Not a Slogan

    At the Consensus Hong Kong 2026 summit, ENI Founder and CEO Arion Ho joined the DeFi Lead at CoinDesk and executives from Paradigm and Blockdaemon to debate the future of DeFi decentralization. Ho delivered a sharp critique of the industry’s current trajectory, asserting that decentralization should never be about "slogan-style freedom," but is fundamentally a rigorous engineering choice.

  • Trump praised the non-farm payroll data and urged the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates to the "lowest in the world."

    US President Trump posted on social media, "Employment data is excellent, far exceeding expectations! The US should pay much less interest on borrowing costs (bonds!). We have once again become the world's number one power, and therefore deserve the lowest interest rates ever. This will bring at least one trillion dollars in interest savings annually — the budget will not only be balanced but will have a substantial surplus. Wow! The golden age of America has arrived!!!"

  • BTC falls below $67,000

    the market shows BTC falling below $67,000, currently at $66,991.58, with a 24-hour decline of 3.41%. The market is highly volatile, please manage your risk accordingly.

  • BTC falls below $69,000

     the market shows BTC fell below 69,000 USD, currently at 68,996.18 USD, with a 24-hour decline of 2.21%. The market is highly volatile, please manage your risk accordingly.

  • BTC falls below $70,000

     the market shows BTC falling below $70,000, currently at $69,990, with a 24-hour decline of 1.04%. The market is highly volatile, please manage your risk accordingly.