US government wallets moved $1.01B in seized Bitfinex Bitcoin to unlabeled addresses
US-linked wallets moved 12,267 BTC from the Bitfinex hack seizure to new unlabeled addresses, following earlier $470M-plus transfers to Coinbase Prime.
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Why it matters
The transfers put the government's stated policy on seized bitcoin under fresh scrutiny: a March 2025 executive order says forfeited bitcoin should go into the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and not be sold, and CryptoSlate reported the move revived questions about Washington handling seized crypto after federal officials earlier this year rejected claims that seized coins had been quietly sold. Three days of exchange-bound transfers from wallets holding seized assets also sit alongside a reported $4,000 Bitcoin decline between October 6 and October 8, though no source establishes a link between the movements and the price.
Where the sources disagree
Whether the 12,267 BTC from the October 8 movement reached Coinbase Prime
12,267 BTC went to unlabeled addresses; no exchange deposit recorded
CoinDesk, Decrypt, Unchained
9,000 BTC, about $739 million, reached Coinbase Prime
CryptoSlate
CoinDesk, Decrypt and Unchained report Arkham recorded no exchange deposit and the coins going to unlabeled addresses, while CryptoSlate reports EmberCN saw 9,000 BTC reach Coinbase Prime.
Size of the October 7 transfers to Coinbase Prime
About $470 million in BTC, WBTC and USDT moved to likely Coinbase Prime addresses
CryptoSlate
Around $565.87 million moved to Coinbase Prime over a few hours
U.Today
$770 million in Bitcoin transfers to Coinbase Prime on Tuesday and Wednesday
Bitcoin.com News
Arkham, Onchain Lens and Galaxy Research figures for the exchange-bound movement differ, with totals ranging from about $470 million to $770 million.
Tuesday Bitcoin transfer total
$71 million
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
$62.34 million
U.Today
Crypto News put the Tuesday Bitcoin leg at 833.6 BTC worth about $71 million, while Onchain Lens described a first batch of 3,974 BTC worth about $329.95 million.
Total size of the US government crypto holdings
About $27.5 billion worth of cryptocurrencies
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
About $25.5 billion in crypto
CoinDesk
About $24.85 billion in Bitcoin
Decrypt
Outlets give different figures for what the government still holds, ranging from about $24.85 billion in Bitcoin to $27.5 billion in crypto.
Amount of Bitcoin sent to Coinbase Prime in the October 7 batch
Roughly 3,200 BTC, about $264 million, and $119 million in USDT reached Coinbase Prime
CoinDesk
About $119 million in USDT and roughly 2,574 BTC went to Coinbase Prime
Decrypt
Over 6,200 BTC went to Coinbase Prime in the previous two days
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
CoinDesk and Decrypt report different Bitcoin totals for the Wednesday exchange-bound transfer, with some counts referring only to the earlier batch.
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
$31.63 million
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
$71.6 million
Decrypt
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) reports $31.63 million, Decrypt reports $71.6 million (56% apart).
amount recovered (government seized)
$103 Million
Decrypt
$565.87 million
U.Today
Decrypt reports $103 Million, U.Today reports $565.87 million (82% apart).
amount recovered (government seized)
$103 Million
Decrypt
$470 million
CryptoSlate
Decrypt reports $103 Million, CryptoSlate reports $470 million (78% apart).
amount recovered (government moved seized)
$565.87 million
U.Today
$470 million
CryptoSlate
U.Today reports $565.87 million, CryptoSlate reports $470 million (17% apart).
reported value
$329.95 million
U.Today
$770 million
Bitcoin.com News
U.Today reports $329.95 million, Bitcoin.com News reports $770 million (57% apart).
reported value
$3.6 billion
U.Today
$1 billion
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
U.Today reports $3.6 billion, Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) reports $1 billion (72% apart).
reported value
$3.6 billion
U.Today
$1.01 billion
Bitcoin.com News
U.Today reports $3.6 billion, Bitcoin.com News reports $1.01 billion (72% apart).
reported value
$71.6 million
Decrypt
$62.34 million
U.Today
Decrypt reports $71.6 million, U.Today reports $62.34 million (13% apart).
Key facts
A wallet Arkham links to the 2016 Bitfinex hack seizure sent 12,267 BTC, worth about $1.01 billion, to new unlabeled addresses on October 8.
12,267 BTCDisputed figureReported by CoinDesk
Arkham recorded no deposit to an exchange for that 12,267 BTC move, a pattern consistent with wallet reshuffling rather than a sale.
12,267 BTCDisputed figureReported by CoinDesk
Blockchain analyst EmberCN reported that 9,000 BTC, worth about $739 million, from the October 8 movement reached Coinbase Prime.
9,000 BTCDisputed figureReported by CryptoSlate
Government-linked wallets sent about $119 million in USDT plus Bitcoin to Coinbase Prime deposit addresses on October 7.
119,000,000 USDDisputed figureReported by CoinDesk
Arkham tied the assets moved to Coinbase Prime to seizures involving the 2016 Bitfinex hack and FTX/Alameda Research.
Reported by CryptoSlate
Arkham tied about 568.7 BTC of the Tuesday transfer to forfeited HashFlare funds from Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turõgin, whose mining contracts sales prosecutors put above $577 million between 2015 and 2019.
568.7 BTCReported by Decrypt
Onchain Lens said 94.15 million USDT moved to Coinbase Prime from seized FTX and Alameda funds.
94,150,000 USDReported by U.Today
Bitcoin fell from about $86,500 late on October 6 to around $82,500 on October 8 as government-linked transfers ran for three consecutive days.
4,000 USDReported by CryptoSlate
What happened
Wallets that Arkham labels as belonging to the US government moved 12,267 BTC, worth about $1.01 billion, out of a wallet holding funds seized from the 2016 Bitfinex hack on Thursday, October 8, with nearly all of it landing at a new unlabeled address and Arkham recording no exchange deposit. Earlier in the week, government-linked wallets sent Bitcoin, wrapped Bitcoin and USDT to Coinbase Prime deposit addresses, and the totals differ by source: Arkham is quoted by CryptoSlate putting the exchange-bound move at about $470 million, Onchain Lens told U.Today that roughly $565.87 million reached Coinbase Prime in a few hours, and Bitcoin.com News put Tuesday and Wednesday transfers to Coinbase Prime at $770 million after Galaxy Research found them. Arkham ties the moved coins to the Bitfinex hack seizure of about 94,000 BTC taken from Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan in 2022, to forfeited HashFlare funds tied to Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turõgin, and to FTX and Alameda seizures; Decrypt separately traces about 568.7 BTC of the Tuesday move to the HashFlare forfeiture, and U.Today dates the hack to August 2016 with about 119,754 BTC stolen. Whether any coins were sold is unconfirmed. Coinbase Prime provides custody as well as trading, so a deposit there does not prove a sale, and the unlabeled destinations on Thursday leave the purpose open; CryptoSlate reported that about 9,000 BTC worth roughly $739 million later reached Coinbase Prime according to EmberCN, while CoinDesk, Decrypt and Unchained reported no exchange deposit recorded for the 12,267 BTC move, though Arkham marks both outputs as already spent. Unchained found no announcement from the Justice Department or the US Marshals Service, and a March 2025 executive order directs forfeited bitcoin into a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve that will not be sold.
How the story developed
- First report
First report by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
US Government Wallets Activity Increases, Bitcoin Falls! Which Level Should Be Defined for the Uptrend to Continue? Analysts Explain
- Update
US-linked wallets move 833.6 BTC and about 40,285 BNB in a first reported movement
Lookonchain reported roughly $103 million moved from government-linked addresses, including 833.6 BTC sent to Coinbase Prime, with no evidence of a sale.
- Independent corroboration
Independently corroborated by Decrypt
US Government Moves $103 Million in Seized Bitcoin and BNB, But Hasn't Said Why
- Update
Arkham confirms about $103.2 million moved and identifies the seized-fund sources
Arkham data tied the Bitcoin to HashFlare forfeitures and Bitfinex hack seizures and the BNB to seized Alameda Research funds; no sale was announced.
- Update
Onchain Lens puts Coinbase Prime transfers near $565.87 million
The platform described 94.15 million USDT from seized FTX/Alameda funds plus earlier batches including 3,974 BTC tied to the Bitfinex hack.
- Update
Arkham reports about $470 million moved to Coinbase Prime addresses
The transfers covered Bitcoin, wrapped Bitcoin and USDT linked to the Bitfinex hack and Alameda, and revived scrutiny under the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve policy.
- Update
Wednesday deposits to Coinbase Prime add USDT and Bitcoin
Arkham data showed about $119 million in USDT plus Bitcoin reaching Coinbase Prime deposit addresses from FTX/Alameda and Bitfinex seizure wallets.
- Update
Government wallets move 12,267 BTC from the Bitfinex seizure wallet
The transfer was recorded in Bitcoin block 970496 at 9:33 a.m. ET on October 8, and Arkham marked both outputs as already spent; Unchained found no Justice Department or Marshals Service announcement.
- Official statement
Official statement from Bitcoin.com News
US Government Shifts $1 Billion in Bitcoin, $94 Million in Tether
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, 11:49 UTC: Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) — 1 independent source, 1 reports
- 7 Oct 2026, 16:56 UTC: Decrypt — 2 independent sources, 2 reports
- 7 Oct 2026, 21:11 UTC: U.Today — 3 independent sources, 3 reports
- 8 Oct 2026, 00:00 UTC: CryptoSlate — 4 independent sources, 4 reports
- 8 Oct 2026, 15:43 UTC: CoinDesk — 5 independent sources, 5 reports
- 8 Oct 2026, 16:19 UTC: Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) — 6 independent sources, 6 reports
- 8 Oct 2026, 18:15 UTC: Bitcoin.com News, official — 7 independent sources, 9 reports
- 9 Oct 2026, 10:21 UTC: Unchained — 8 independent sources, 10 reports
Affected entities
Also mentioned: BNB, Donald Trump, FTX, U.S. Department of Justice, El Salvador, Ethereum, Binance
Original sources
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