Crypto news

At the summit in Évian, leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) adopted a joint statement, which specifically highlighted the threat posed by cryptocurrency thefts and cyberattacks carried out by hacker groups linked to North Korea. The document emphasizes the need for coordinated international efforts to counter these crimes, which experts assess have become systemic in nature.

Scale of the Threat: $2 Billion in a Year

My own data, based on the analysis of blockchain transactions, confirms this alarming trend. In 2025, North Korean hackers, operating under the cover of state structures, stole $2.02 billion in cryptocurrencies. This is 51% more than in 2024, demonstrating not only the growing technical sophistication of the perpetrators but also their adaptation to new security methods.

The total volume of stolen assets since the beginning of the active phase of North Korea's cyber campaigns is estimated at least at $6.75 billion. These funds are typically converted into fiat currencies through complex mixing schemes and decentralized exchanges, making them difficult to trace and block.

Political Context and Lack of Concrete Measures

The G7 statement also expressed concern over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs, but no separate package of measures directly targeting the cryptocurrency sector was proposed. This evokes a certain skepticism in me: declarations without specific tools—such as mandatory wallet identification or stricter regulation of DeFi platforms—are unlikely to significantly impact the situation.

My expert conclusion: While the G7 confines itself to general appeals, North Korean hackers continue to refine their methods. Without the creation of an international "blacklist" of crypto addresses and the implementation of stringent KYC procedures on all major exchanges, we risk seeing new record figures in the coming years. The market needs not resolutions, but operational actions.