Lazarus Group Holds More Bitcoin Than Tesla

The Lazarus Group, a hacking group closely associated with North Korean, holds more bitcoin (BTC) than Tesla (TSLA), the electric car manufacturer

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

At press time, data source Arkham Intelligence shows that Lazarus still holds 13,441 BTC, which is worth $1.14 billion. That's 16% more than Tesla's bitcoin stash of 11,509 BTC.

Last month, the Lazarus Group struck crypto exchange Bybit and drained ether (ETH) worth $1.4 billion 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 bought its bitcoin stash four years ago and has been HODLing it ever since, making it the world's fourth-largest publicly listed company in terms of BTC holdings.

The striking contrast between Tesla and the 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 again vowed to make 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.

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