US government-linked wallets move $1.01 billion in Bitfinex bitcoin, with no sale confirmed

• Wallets labeled as U.S. government holdings moved 12,267 BTC, worth about $1.01 billion, on Oct. 8 to new unlabeled addresses.
• The coins are tied to the 2016 Bitfinex hack seizure, and that transfer did not land at an exchange.
• The shift followed about 9,261 BTC, worth $770 million, sent to Coinbase Prime over the prior two days.
• Arkham data show government-linked wallets still hold about 306,795 BTC, valued near $25.3 billion.
• A March 2025 executive order says bitcoin in the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve shall not be sold, with limited legal exceptions. Officials have not commented.

Wallets that blockchain analytics firm Arkham labels as U.S. government holdings moved 12,267 bitcoin, worth about $1.01 billion, on Thursday from funds seized in the 2016 Bitfinex hack to new, unlabeled addresses, on-chain data showed.

The transfer did not record an exchange deposit, a pattern consistent with custody reshuffling rather than a confirmed sale. The sending wallet is linked to bitcoin recovered after the Bitfinex breach, in which 119,756 BTC was stolen, and the owner of the receiving address was not identified, according to reporting of the transfer.

The move landed hours after a separate burst of activity. Government-linked wallets sent 9,261 BTC, worth $770 million, to Coinbase Prime over the prior two days, including 2,456 BTC in newly identified funds, separate transfer records show. A prior-day deposit of roughly 3,200 BTC, about $264 million, and $119 million in USDT also reached Coinbase Prime from wallets tied to the Bitfinex seizure and the FTX/Alameda case, earlier flow data indicated. Deposits to Coinbase Prime, which also provides custody, do not by themselves confirm a sale.

Cointelegraph said it contacted the U.S. Marshals Service and the Department of Justice about the transfers and had not received a response. Neither agency has publicly explained whether the coins are being consolidated, prepared for restitution, or staged for another purpose.

The activity sits against the March 6, 2025 executive order that created the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. The order states that “Government BTC deposited into the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve shall not be sold and shall be maintained as reserve assets of the United States.” It also allows disposal when a court orders it, when law requires it, or when assets “be returned to identifiable and verifiable victims of crime.” Bitfinex restitution is the lane most relevant to these coins, but officials have not said the Oct. 8 transfer is part of a victim payout.

Holdings estimates differ by tracker. Arkham’s entity page showed about 306,795 BTC, valued near $25.32 billion, within a broader government-linked crypto balance of about $25.42 billion. A separate estimate puts government bitcoin holdings at roughly 328,372 BTC in 2026, mostly from seizures and forfeitures, tracking cited in coverage of the move showed.

For traders, the distinction between an internal wallet move and an exchange deposit is the immediate signal. The unlabeled destination reduces the chance that $1.01 billion is already queued for sale, while the earlier Coinbase Prime transfers leave open the possibility that a portion of seized bitcoin could still reach the market or a restitution process. Until the Marshals or the Justice Department comment, the on-chain record shows movement, not a completed liquidation.