Wallets linked to North Korea’s Lazarus Group sold more than $30 million in Bitcoin through the Hyperliquid platform over the three weeks leading up to Aug. 31, according to an Arkham analysis reviewed by CoinDesk. The proceeds were moved through Hyperliquid’s pseudonymous, continuously operating markets, raising concerns about the platform’s exposure to sanctioned actors. CryptoSlate reported that CME and ICE had warned Washington in May that such market structures could allow sanctioned entities to circumvent enforcement measures. The transactions add pressure to the debate over whether decentralized finance platforms should gain a larger foothold in the United States. Hyperliquid’s role in the Bitcoin sales could give traditional financial-market firms a stronger argument for tighter scrutiny of DeFi venues as regulators consider their potential U.S. expansion.
