A long-dormant Bitcoin wallet, first active in the early days of the network in 2009, has transferred 150 BTC—worth over $16 million—after 14 years of inactivity.
The wallet, originally mined between April and June 2009, was last active in June 2011 when it consolidated 4,000 BTC into a single address.
Whale’s historic holdings
Onchain data suggests the whale may have once controlled up to 7,850 BTC across multiple wallets.
Blockchain analyst Emmett Gallic noted:
“A Whale that once held 8,000 BTC activated a new wallet from the Satoshi Era of Bitcoin. He has been steadily selling now down to 3850 BTC after moving 150 BTC today. God Level DCA Strat.”
The wallet’s current balance stands at 3,850 BTC following the recent movement, according to mempool.space.
Recent whale activity
The awakening of old wallets is not unique.
In July, another Satoshi-era whale who held 80,201 BTC moved its holdings to Galaxy Digital after 14 years of dormancy.
According to onchain analyst Willy Woo, whales with more than 10,000 BTC have been steadily selling since 2017, as tracked by institutional interest and onchain metrics.
Market implications
While some traders view these transfers as signs of potential selling pressure from early adopters, analysts argue that such activity is not a cause for concern, as new buyers are actively entering the market.
This dynamic reflects the growing maturity and liquidity of the Bitcoin ecosystem, with old coins finding new owners as market demand persists.
