US Government Transfers Over $1 Billion in Seized Bitcoin to Coinbase Prime Across Three Days
US government-linked wallets moved roughly $103 million in Bitcoin and BNB on October 7, followed by $770 million in Bitcoin on October 7-8, and over $1 billion in Bitcoin on October 8, all to Coinbase Prime, with no official confirmation of sales.
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Why it matters
The sequential large-scale transfers to Coinbase Prime, the institutional custodian for seized US government digital assets, have heightened market speculation about potential liquidations, though no sales have been confirmed. The appearance of 2,456 BTC from previously unidentified wallets suggests the government's cryptocurrency inventory may be larger than previously tracked. The transfers test the boundaries of the 2025 executive order restricting sales of reserve Bitcoin while permitting other dispositions.
Where the sources disagree
Final destination of the 40,285 BNB transferred on October 7
Address ending in 81E (0xBE7...81E)
Crypto.News, Bitcoin Insider
Unlabeled wallet
CoinGape, Brave New Coin
Crypto.News and CoinGape report the BNB reached an address ending in 81E, while Brave New Coin says it went to an unlabeled wallet and CoinGape separately describes it as an unlabeled wallet.
Figures that do not reconcile
Found by comparing the numbers in the reports automatically. They are differences, not yet confirmed to be about the same thing.
reported value (combined)
$71.56 million
Crypto.News
$31.6 million
Bitcoin Insider
Crypto.News reports $71.56 million, Bitcoin Insider reports $31.6 million (56% apart).
reported value (coinbase sent)
$71.56 million
Crypto.News
$31.63 million
Unchained
Crypto.News reports $71.56 million, Unchained reports $31.63 million (56% apart).
reported value
$71.56 million
Crypto.News
$31.63 million
Brave New Coin
Crypto.News reports $71.56 million, Brave New Coin reports $31.63 million (56% apart).
reported value
$71.6 million
Bitcoin Insider
$31.63 million
Unchained
Bitcoin Insider reports $71.6 million, Unchained reports $31.63 million (56% apart).
reported value
$71.6 million
Bitcoin Insider
$31.63 million
Brave New Coin
Bitcoin Insider reports $71.6 million, Brave New Coin reports $31.63 million (56% apart).
reported value
324,000 BTC
Bitcoin Insider
833.599 BTC
Unchained
Bitcoin Insider reports 324,000 BTC, Unchained reports 833.599 BTC (61% apart).
reported value
324,000 BTC
Bitcoin Insider
833.599 BTC
Brave New Coin
Bitcoin Insider reports 324,000 BTC, Brave New Coin reports 833.599 BTC (61% apart).
reported value
$71.56 million
Unchained
$31.63 million
Brave New Coin
Unchained reports $71.56 million, Brave New Coin reports $31.63 million (56% apart).
reported value
$71.56 million
Unchained
$31.6 million
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Unchained reports $71.56 million, Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) reports $31.6 million (56% apart).
amount recovered (government moves seized)
$103
Brave New Coin
$770
Cointelegraph
Brave New Coin reports $103, Cointelegraph reports $770 (87% apart).
reported value
$71.56 million
Brave New Coin
$31.6 million
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Brave New Coin reports $71.56 million, Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) reports $31.6 million (56% apart).
reported value
$103.2 million
Brave New Coin
$770 million
Cointelegraph
Brave New Coin reports $103.2 million, Cointelegraph reports $770 million (87% apart).
reported value (government moved)
$103 Million
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
$770 million
Cointelegraph
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) reports $103 Million, Cointelegraph reports $770 million (87% apart).
reported value (government)
$103 Million
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
$770 million
Bitcoin.com News
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) reports $103 Million, Bitcoin.com News reports $770 million (87% apart).
reported value (government moved)
$103 Million
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
$770 million
Crypto.News
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) reports $103 Million, Crypto.News reports $770 million (87% apart).
reported value (approximately)
$71.6 million
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
$31.63 million
CoinGape
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) reports $71.6 million, CoinGape reports $31.63 million (56% apart).
reported value
$1 billion
Cointelegraph
$1.1 billion
CoinGape
Cointelegraph reports $1 billion, CoinGape reports $1.1 billion (9% apart).
Key facts
US government-linked wallets transferred 833.6 BTC worth approximately $71.56 million to Coinbase Prime on October 7, 2026
833.6 BTCDisputed figureReported by Crypto.News
US government-linked wallets transferred 40,285 BNB worth approximately $31.63 million on October 7, 2026
40,285 BNBDisputed figureReported by Crypto.News
Galaxy Research tracked 9,261 BTC worth roughly $770 million moving to Coinbase Prime across October 7-8, 2026
9,261 BTCDisputed figureReported by Cointelegraph
The 9,261 BTC transfer included 2,456 BTC from wallets not previously identified as US government holdings
2,456 BTCReported by Cointelegraph
Arkham data shows a further transfer of more than 12,260 BTC valued at approximately $1.1 billion on October 8, 2026
12,260 BTCDisputed figureReported by Cointelegraph
Coinbase Prime serves as the institutional custody and trading platform for the US Marshals Service for seized digital assets
Reported by Crypto.News
No official statement from the Treasury or Department of Justice has confirmed the purpose of any of the transfers
Reported by CoinGape
What happened
On October 7, 2026, wallets linked to the US government transferred 833.6 BTC worth approximately $71.56 million and 40,285 BNB worth approximately $31.63 million, totaling roughly $103 million, according to on-chain analytics firms EmberCN, Lookonchain, and Arkham cited by multiple outlets. The Bitcoin was sent to Coinbase Prime, while the BNB's final destination is disputed: Crypto.News and CoinGape report it reached an address ending in 81E, while Brave New Coin says it went to an unlabeled wallet. Over the next two days, Galaxy Research tracked an additional 9,261 BTC worth roughly $770 million moving to Coinbase Prime, including 2,456 BTC from wallets not previously identified as government holdings. On October 8, Arkham data showed a further transfer of more than 12,260 BTC valued at approximately $1.1 billion. Coinbase Prime provides both custody and trading services for the US Marshals Service, so deposits do not confirm sales. No Treasury or Department of Justice statement has confirmed the purpose of any transfer. A March 2025 executive order bars sales of Bitcoin placed in the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve but allows court-ordered and victim-related transfers.
How the story developed
- First report
First report by Crypto.News
Why did the US government send $71M in Bitcoin to Coinbase Prime?
- Update
Initial $103M transfer of seized Bitcoin and BNB
US government wallets move 833.6 BTC and 40,285 BNB worth ~$103M on October 7, with BTC going to Coinbase Prime
- Independent corroboration
Independently corroborated by CoinGape
US Government Sends 833.6 BTC to Coinbase Prime as 40,285 BNB Takes Multi-Hop Route
- Update
Galaxy Research reveals larger $770M Bitcoin transfer over two days
Additional 9,261 BTC tracked to Coinbase Prime, including 2,456 BTC from previously unknown government wallets
- Official statement
Official statement from Bitcoin.com News
US Government Shifts $770M in Bitcoin as Mystery Wallets Emerge
- Update
Arkham identifies further $1.1B Bitcoin transfer
More than 12,260 BTC moved from government-linked wallet tied to Bitfinex hack recovery
How coverage built up
Independent sources over time, counted the way the consensus panel counts them: a republication of a wire story does not move the line.
- 7 Oct 2026, 06:21 UTC: Crypto.News — 1 independent source, 1 reports
- 7 Oct 2026, 08:30 UTC: CoinGape — 2 independent sources, 2 reports
- 7 Oct 2026, 08:35 UTC: Bitcoin Insider — 3 independent sources, 3 reports
- 7 Oct 2026, 10:04 UTC: Unchained — 4 independent sources, 4 reports
- 7 Oct 2026, 11:15 UTC: Brave New Coin — 5 independent sources, 5 reports
- 8 Oct 2026, 11:03 UTC: Cointelegraph — 6 independent sources, 7 reports
- 8 Oct 2026, 11:30 UTC: Bitcoin.com News, official — 7 independent sources, 8 reports
Affected entities
Also mentioned: Ethereum, U.S. Department of Justice, Donald Trump, Binance, FTX, Federal Reserve, Tether USDt
Original sources
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