The German government will sell nearly 50 thousand bitcoins in 2024, missing out on potential earnings of 2.30 billion U.S. dollars.

Odaily Planet Daily reports that blockchain intelligence platform Arkham data shows the German government sold 49,858 bitcoins in batches between June and July 2024 through wallet addresses labeled "German Government (BKA)", at an average price of about 57,900 USD, cashing out approximately 2.89 billion USD in total. These bitcoins were originally seized by the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) from the operators of the pirated movie website Movie2k.

As of May 2025, the price of bitcoin has risen to over 104,700 USD. If the German government had held onto the bitcoins until now, their market value would have reached about 5.24 billion USD, implying a missed potential gain of approximately 2.35 billion USD. Arkham founder Miguel Morel stated that the German government’s selling approach indicates an urgent need for liquidity, possibly failing to achieve optimal market execution. (Cointelegraph)