U.S. government shifts $1 billion in seized bitcoin to new wallets — with no sign of a sale

Wallets tied to the U.S. government moved 12,267 BTC — roughly $1.01 billion at the time — out of an address holding funds seized from the 2016 Bitfinex hack, CoinDesk reported on Thursday, citing on-chain data from blockchain intelligence firm Arkham. The coins went to a new, unlabeled address, with a second transaction sent to another address. No exchange deposit was recorded, a pattern CoinDesk described as more consistent with wallet reshuffling than a liquidation.

The move came 24 hours after heavier exchange-bound activity. On Wednesday, per Arkham's labeling as reported by CoinDesk, roughly 3,200 BTC (about $264 million) and $119 million in USDT landed at Coinbase Prime deposit addresses, drawn from wallets tied to the FTX/Alameda and Bitfinex seizures. CoinDesk noted this is not the first such routing: it reported earlier in the week that more than $100 million in BTC and BNB moved similarly, and that in July about $288 million in seized bitcoin and ether was routed to Coinbase Prime through fresh intermediary wallets.

By Arkham's count, the government still holds about $25.5 billion in crypto.

Key facts

• 12,267 BTC (~$1.01 billion) moved Thursday from a Bitfinex-hack seizure wallet to two new unlabeled addresses; no exchange deposit recorded — Arkham, via CoinDesk.
• 3,200 BTC ($264M) plus $119M USDT hit Coinbase Prime deposit addresses a day earlier, from FTX/Alameda- and Bitfinex-linked wallets — Arkham, via CoinDesk.
• ~$288M in seized BTC and ETH was routed to Coinbase Prime via intermediary wallets in July; $100M+ in BTC and BNB moved earlier this week — CoinDesk.
• Government crypto holdings: ~$25.5 billion — Arkham, via CoinDesk.
• A March 2025 executive order directs forfeited bitcoin into a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and says it should not be sold — CoinDesk.

The real-world read

Big round-number transfers of seized coins reliably trigger sale speculation, and the restraint here is worth stating plainly: a move to unlabeled wallets is not a sale, and even the Coinbase Prime deposits a day earlier aren't dispositive — as CoinDesk notes, Coinbase Prime also provides custody, so coins can land there without being sold. The honest answer is that the on-chain data shows movement, not intent.

That matters more given the policy backdrop. The March 2025 executive order says forfeited bitcoin should go into a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and not be sold. These flows don't contradict that on their face — reshuffling and custody moves are consistent with holding — but they also don't confirm it, and neither Arkham's data nor CoinDesk's reporting establishes the government's purpose. The reserve was ordered; what these specific wallet moves are for has not been disclosed. Treat any claim that this signals imminent selling — or deliberate accumulation — as speculation beyond what the chain currently shows.

This is news coverage, not financial advice.

Sources

• CoinDesk (Tier 2, reputable secondary), Oct. 8, 2026 — reported the $1.01B transfer and the prior Coinbase Prime deposits, and provided the executive-order and holdings context. Its figures are sourced throughout to Arkham (on-chain intelligence, effectively the primary data here). No marketing or sponsored material used in this item.