The U.S. government moved about 0.0048 BTC seized from Alameda Research's Binance.US accounts three years ago, according to Arkham Intelligence. The transaction, worth roughly $377, is far smaller than earlier transfers of seized Alameda and FTX assets, and no agency has said whether it relates to creditor repayments, the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve or another forfeiture process.
Arkham Intelligence reported the transfer in an Aug. 27 post on X, saying the Bitcoin had been seized from Alameda accounts held on Binance.US three years earlier. The blockchain analytics firm did not describe the transaction as a sale or provide evidence that the government had begun liquidating the remaining Bitcoin tied to Alameda.
According to Arkham: "moved a small amount of Bitcoin that had been seized from Alameda accounts". Alongside the transfer, the firm asked whether the government would begin liquidating the rest of Alameda's Bitcoin, framing it as a question rather than a confirmed plan.
Arkham's dashboard showed the transaction leaving a wallet labeled as belonging to the U.S. government. The platform also showed government-linked addresses holding about 324,552 BTC at the time, valued at roughly $25.5 billion.
Transfer follows larger Alameda movements earlier this year
The small transaction comes after federal wallets moved a much larger group of seized Alameda and FTX assets earlier this year. In June, crypto.news reported that the government moved seized Alameda funds worth nearly $984,000, with most of the assets transferred to Coinbase Prime.
Arkham said at the time those assets were intended for the FTX estate as part of returning recovered funds to creditors. By contrast, the Aug. 27 transaction was far smaller: Arkham's interface showed approximately 0.0048 BTC leaving the government-linked address, putting its value below $400. No destination was described as an exchange deposit for liquidation.
Seized Bitcoin faces different rules than the reserve
The status of government-controlled Bitcoin has received more attention since President Donald Trump established the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve through an executive order in March 2025. Under that framework, Bitcoin finally forfeited to the government can move into the reserve, where a no-sale policy applies.
However, seized cryptocurrency can still face court proceedings, victim restitution or other claims before it is finally forfeited. A June review found the federal government held an estimated 328,372 BTC, a figure spread across agencies and different legal statuses.
Alameda Research was the trading firm connected to FTX before the exchange collapsed into bankruptcy in November 2022. Separate bankruptcy proceedings continue to determine how recovered FTX and Alameda assets reach creditors, and government transfers of seized Alameda assets have previously been tied to that process.
Arkham did not say the 0.0048 BTC transferred on Aug. 27 was part of a creditor distribution, a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve transaction or a planned liquidation. Its post identified the coin as seized from Alameda's Binance.US accounts and asked whether more government-controlled Alameda Bitcoin could move next.
Source: crypto.news
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