5-Year Dormant Bitcoin Whale Resurfaces with $535M Transfer

• A major Bitcoin whale has reemerged with activity after years of dormancy.
• The whale initiated several asset transfers across multiple addresses.
• The crypto market is experiencing significant fluctuations.

Volatility in the crypto market often triggers a whirlwind of activity among investors and holders, marked by major asset sell-offs and movements to navigate the rocky waters. These patterns are sometimes heightened by the return of large portfolio owners, who remerge with substantial movements to ruffle the broader market with their sizeable holdings.

As the market now continues its weeks-long wavering, a long-inactive Bitcoin wallet has come to life.

Big Bitcoin Whale Bustles

On Tuesday, June 11, 2024, a major Bitcoin wallet that had been dormant re-emerged with activity, transferring approximately 8,000 BTC. The transfer, initiated around 21:00 PM UTC, occurred in a single-part transaction to a Binance deposit address at a value rate of $66,955, totaling approximately $536 million at the time. 

This marks the wallet’s first activity in nearly six years, following its acquisition of 8,000 BTC on December 6, 2018, when the crypto king was trading at $3,810. The initial investment, which totaled approximately $30.5 million at the time of purchase, now sits at a current value of around $543.2 million, representing a staggering $512.7 million profit for the Bitcoin whale.

The significant unrealized profit has been highlighted as the probable cause for this reappearance, potentially setting the stage for a sell-off to capitalize on gains. However, the timing of the BTC whale’s comeback has specifically triggered concerns of additional market instability, particularly due to its already precarious state.

Bitcoin Leads Crypto Market Waver

Since the past week, the crypto market has navigated choppy waters, marked by fleeting price highs and deep asset tumbles. Leading the charge is Bitcoin (BTC), which initially ignited investor excitement by surpassing the $71,000 price milestone on June 7, only to suffer a sharp decline to $66,000 days after.

Currently trading at $67,880, the crypto giant has experienced a sluggish performance over the past 24 hours, down approximately 4.3% from its day-high peak of 68,000.

Bitcoin’s underperformance has rippled through a number of other market leaders, including Ethereum (ETH) . Trading at $3,544 at press time, ETH has suffered an approximate 6.8% over the past seven days, down from its week high of $3,800.

Others such as Solana (SOL) and Cardano (ADA) have also recorded downturns, tumbling 12% and 9% respectively in the past seven days.

On the Flipside

• Despite the BTC whale’s transfer to the Binance deposit address, there is no guarantee that a sell-off is looming.
• Several memecoins have also been impacted by the downward trend, with major players such as SHIB, DOGE, and PEPE, suffering respective 15%, 14%, and 10% price declines. 
• On March 14, 2024, BTC reached an all-time high of 75,830.

Why This Matters

As major asset holders, whales in the crypto industry wield significant influence. Should this Bitcoin whale wallet decide to sell off its holdings, the market could face considerable instability, given the scale of assets involved.

To read more about other Bitcoin whales that have emerged this year, read this article:
Bitcoin Whale Shifts $44M BTC After 10 Years of Dormancy

Stablecoin issuer Tether is expanding its reach beyond the crypto sector. Read here to find out how:
Tether Allocates $1B for Emerging Markets Investments