Wallets linked to North Korea's Lazarus Group sold over $30 million in Bitcoin on the decentralized platform Hyperliquid in three weeks, converting proceeds into Ethereum and Solana before moving assets to centralized exchanges. This activity raises US sanctions concerns, as Lazarus is a sanctioned entity tied to cyber thefts. Meanwhile, Kraken's parent company Payward is in advanced talks to offer regulated Hyperliquid perpetual futures to US traders through its CFTC-regulated subsidiary, Bitnomial, aiming to provide compliant access. Hyperliquid leads in decentralized perpetual futures trading, processing over $5 trillion in volume, but US regulatory approval and sanctions screening remain critical hurdles for domestic entry.
