The G7 demands a global blockade of North Korea's cryptocurrency thefts: the scale of the threat has reached $2 billion per year
Leaders of the Group of Seven nations at the Evian summit adopted a tough statement aimed at cutting off financial flows generated by cybercriminal groups from North Korea. The joint document emphasizes that cryptocurrency thefts and targeted attacks on blockchain infrastructure have become a key tool for funding Pyongyang's military programs, including the development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. However, despite the rhetorical toughness, no specific mechanisms or new sanctions regimes for the crypto industry were proposed.
The scale of the threat, by our estimates, continues to grow exponentially. In 2025, North Korean hacker groups — primarily the Lazarus Group and BlueNoroff — managed to steal crypto assets worth at least $2.02 billion. This is 51% higher than the previous year's figures. The total damage from their activities over the past few years has already exceeded $6.75 billion. These figures reflect not just an increase in the number of incidents, but a systemic improvement in attack methods: from phishing and private key compromise to exploiting vulnerabilities in cross-chain bridges and DeFi protocols.
Notably, the G7 did not propose imposing an embargo on cryptocurrency transactions with wallets linked to the DPRK, or requiring exchanges to block suspicious transactions at the protocol level. This indicates that policymakers are not yet ready for radical steps that could affect the principles of decentralization or disrupt the operation of legal crypto platforms. Instead, the emphasis is on interstate intelligence sharing and coordination of law enforcement efforts.
Analytical conclusion: While the G7 limits itself to declarations, North Korean hackers will continue to exploit regulatory gaps and blockchain anonymity. Real combat will require the implementation of mandatory KYC/AML procedures for all DeFi protocols and the creation of a global blacklist for addresses linked to the DPRK. Without this, $2 billion a year is just the tip of the iceberg.