Share this article

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

D.O.G.E head Elon Musk's Tesla falls behind North Korean hacker group in terms of BTC holdings as President Trump plans to make U.S. the crypto capital of the world.

Mar 21, 2025, 6:11 a.m.
North Korea-linked Lazarus holds more BTC than Tesla. (Image via Shutterstock)
North Korea-linked Lazarus holds more BTC than Tesla. (Image via Shutterstock)

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 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.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Lazarus Group's bitcoin holdings (Arkham Intelligence)
Lazarus Group's bitcoin holdings (Arkham Intelligence)

Last month, Lazarus Group struck crypto exchange Bybit, draining $1.4 billion in ether 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.

Advertisement

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.

.

More For You

BitSeek: Decentralized AI Infrastructure Revolutionizing the Web3 Industry

More For You

Bitcoin Jumps to $99K as Spiking Coinbase Premium Points to Strong U.S. Buying

alt

Spot BTC prices were at times $300 pricier on Coinbase relative to Binance, suggesting the rally may be driven by heavy demand from American investors.

What to know:

  • Bitcoin surged towards $100,000 on Wednesday's U.S. trading session, gaining 3.2% in the past 24 hours.
  • The rally coincided with significant spot BTC price premium on Coinbase.
  • Fed Chair Jerome Powell called bitcoin a competitor to gold during a panel discussion.