U.S. Moves Billions in Seized Crypto; Sparks Bitcoin Price Concerns

Published 05/12/2024, 07:34
Updated 05/12/2024, 10:15
U.S. Moves Billions in Seized Crypto; Sparks Bitcoin Price Concerns
BTC/USD
-
ETH/USD
-

Coin Edition -

  • The U.S. government moves billions in seized crypto, including BTC and ETH, to new wallets.
  • Concerns rise over potential government sale of seized Bitcoin after large transfer.
  • Bitcoin recovers after price dip following government transfers but faces resistance near $100K.
The U.S. government has transferred billions of dollars worth of seized cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, into new wallets, raising questions within the crypto community about the potential market impact.The assets, confiscated during investigations involving major crypto cases like FTX and the Silk Road marketplace, were moved to several addresses. These transfers follow the FTX bankruptcy in November 2022, triggered by allegations of fund misuse by the exchange and its trading arm, Alameda Research.

FTX and Alameda Transfers: What We Know

On December 3, blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence identified significant movements of crypto assets linked to the U.S. government. These included 5,024 ether (ETH), valued at approximately $18 million, sent to two wallet addresses beginning with “0x9cd” and “0x9ac.” Alongside Ethereum, the government moved additional assets such as $13 million in Binance USD (BUSD), $1.5 million in SHIBA INU (SHIB), and smaller amounts of Compound (COMP), Numeraire (NMR), and Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC).In a separate move, the U.S. government transferred 20,000 Bitcoin (BTC)—worth about $1.92 billion—on Monday. The Bitcoin, originally seized during investigations of the Silk Road marketplace, represents a significant portion of government-held cryptocurrency.Read also :Arkham Intelligence Reveals U.S. Government’s Bitcoin Transfer to Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) The scale of these movements has sparked debate within the crypto market. Some analysts fear that the government may liquidate these holdings, potentially driving down prices.Following the transfers, Bitcoin’s price briefly dipped to $93,600 but rebounded above $96,000. However, the cryptocurrency faces resistance around the critical $100,000 mark.Despite these transfers, the U.S. government retains substantial crypto reserves, including 188,309 Bitcoin valued at $18.12 billion, along with Ethereum and stablecoins like USDT. The market remains on edge, closely monitoring for signs of further asset liquidations that could influence cryptocurrency prices. The post U.S. Moves Billions in Seized Crypto; Sparks Bitcoin Price Concerns appeared first on Coin Edition.

Read more on Coin Edition

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers
© 2007-2025 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.