Overview

• Arkham Intelligence says more than 45,000 BTC across 100+ wallets linked to the Movie2K case have not moved since 2019 and are likely still controlled by the site’s operators.
• German authorities previously received 49,858 BTC from Movie2K operators and sold the coins in June–July 2024 for about $2.89 billion at an average near $57,900 per BTC.
• Officials have not confirmed control over the newly identified wallets, and any seizure would require proving criminal ties in court and securing access to private keys.
• Market watchers warn that moving roughly 45,000 BTC into circulation could pressure prices given today’s thinner liquidity, noting past German sales coincided with a period of consolidation as Bitcoin later topped $120,000.
• The finding has renewed Germany’s policy fight over seized crypto, with lawmaker Joana Cotar urging a sovereign Bitcoin reserve and Bundesbank president Joachim Nagel calling Bitcoin unsuitable for state holdings.