A long-dormant bitcoin whale has moved 137.03 BTC, worth approximately $15.6 million, for the first time in nearly 13 years.
According to onchain data, the wallet, which originally held 444.81 BTC, initiated the transfer at 11:27 a.m. UTC on Thursday.
Details of the whale transfer
Onchain monitoring shows that about 132 BTC was moved to a new address while 5 BTC was deposited to the exchange Kraken.
The wallet had last received funds on November 26, 2012, when its entire balance was valued at just $5,437.
At current bitcoin prices around $114,025, the value of the transferred coins has increased more than 9,300-fold since 2012.
The original address still retains approximately 307.79 BTC, now worth about $35.1 million.
Surge in legacy whale activity
Activity among older bitcoin wallets has accelerated recently as bitcoin continues to set new all-time highs.
In July, Galaxy Digital facilitated the sale of more than 80,000 BTC for a Satoshi-era investor, a move related to estate planning.
The sale, valued at over $9 billion, was absorbed by the market efficiently.
Implications and market absorption
The motivations behind these movements remain unknown, fueling speculation about potential sales or strategic asset rotations.
Despite these large transfers, the market has proven capable of absorbing significant volumes without major disruptions, reflecting bitcoin’s growing liquidity and maturity.
