Lazarus Group Theft Hits $643M as Lummis Pushes CLARITY Act

North Korean Lazarus Group stole $643M in H1 2026, two-thirds of global crypto theft. Senator Lummis urges CLARITY Act passage before recess to enable sanctions and transaction freezes.

Woofun AI reports that U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis is urging the completion of Senate voting on the CLARITY Act before the congressional recess. Article 303 of the legislation empowers the Treasury Department to impose targeted sanctions on digital assets in foreign jurisdictions, while Article 305 permits exchanges to freeze suspicious transactions for up to 180 days.

On-chain data indicates that North Korea's Lazarus Group stole approximately $643 million in the first half of 2026, representing two-thirds of the $972 million in global cryptocurrency thefts during that period. This includes a $285 million attack on Drift Protocol in April and a $292 million breach of the KelpDAO cross-chain bridge. The group has accumulated $6.75 billion in total thefts since 2019. Galaxy Research has lowered the probability of the CLARITY Act passing in 2026 to 30%, noting that the bill requires 60 votes to advance, necessitating support from at least 7 Democratic senators.