Data: The German government sold nearly 50,000 bitcoins last year, missing out on a potential profit of $2.3 billion

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, data from the blockchain intelligence platform Arkham shows that the German government sold 49,858 bitcoins in batches through a wallet address labeled "German Government (BKA)" between June and July 2024, at an average price of approximately $57,900, totaling about $2.89 billion in cash.

These bitcoins were originally seized by the Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany (BKA) from the operators of the pirated movie site Movie2k. As of May 2025, the price of bitcoin has risen to over $104,700, meaning if the German government had held onto the bitcoins until now, their market value would have reached approximately $5.24 billion, indicating a missed potential profit of about $2.35 billion.

Arkham founder Miguel Morel stated that the German government's method of selling indicates a desire for liquidity, which may not have achieved optimal market execution.