Kim's crypto thieving reached a record $2B in 2025

North Korea's yearly cryptocurrency thefts have accelerated, with Kim's state-backed cybercriminals plundering just over $2 billion worth of tokens in 2025.

That's according to research from blockchain biz Chainalysis, whose experts say that the figure represents a 51 percent increase year-on-year, and a huge proportion of the $3.4 billion that was stolen in total, globally.

"This marks the most severe year on record for DPRK crypto theft in terms of value stolen, with DPRK attacks also accounting for a record 76 percent of all service compromises," the company's report noted.

A major influencing factor on the steep rise is North Korea's February attack on Bybit, which netted around $1.5 billion worth of digital assets.

Another reason for this rise is the state's increased targeting of personal wallets, representing nearly half (44 percent) of the total value. In 2022, this accounted for just ...