North Korean Hackers Surpass El Salvador in Amount of Bitcoin Accumulated

According to a BlockBeats Hackers allegedly linked to the North Korean government have reportedly managed to amass an impressive 13.562 BTC, valued at around $1,14 billion. This accumulation positions the Asian country as one of the largest holders of Bitcoin among nations, surpassing El Salvador and Bhutan, and behind only the United States and the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, the hacker group Lazarus, linked North Korea has managed to extract at least $1,5 billion worth of cryptocurrency from various platforms. Its most recent attack on the ByBit exchange resulted in the theft of a large amount of digital tokens, with authorities around the world frantically trying to track and block the conversion of these cryptocurrencies into physical cash.

The group is believed to be working around the clock, nearly 24 hours a day, using the stolen funds to finance the North Korean regime's military initiatives.

On the other hand, El Salvador, under the leadership of Nayib Bukele, holds 6.117 Bitcoins in its reserves, estimated at over US$527 million. The country’s engagement with the cryptocurrency has been widely celebrated by notable figures in the sector, such as Michael Saylor, CEO of Strategy, who highlighted: “Bitcoin adoption is unstoppable.”

El Salvador recently made adjustments to its Bitcoin legislation to partially align with the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) requirements. In a January 2025 move, accepting Bitcoin became optional for businesses, and the government outlined plans to reduce its budget deficit by 3,5% of GDP over the next three years.

At the time of publication, the price of Bitcoin was quoted at US$84.098,66, up 0,5% in the last 24 hours.