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Awakens

Bitcoin Whale Awakens After 12 Years to Move $44 Million in BTC

by admin September 29, 2025

In brief

An old address holding 400 Bitcoin worth over $44 million has moved their “digital gold.”
The coins had sat in the digital wallet since November 2013. Bitcoin is up 16,000% since then.
A growing number of “Satoshi-era” investors have moved their Bitcoin in recent months with BTC steadily above $100K.

Another long-term Bitcoin investor is back in action and making moves.

Data from Arkham Intelligence shows that an address holding over $44 million in digital coins made a transaction after 12 years of dormancy.

Sunday was the first time the 400 Bitcoin had been touched since they arrived in the digital wallet in November 2013— just four years after the oldest blockchain came to life.

Back then, the price of Bitcoin stood at around $720, according to CoinGecko. It’s now trading for over $114,000—a nearly 16,000% rise. As is often the case, it’s unclear who owns the wallet, as such personally identifying information isn’t included on the blockchain.

Back in 2013, the lowest price the oldest cryptocurrency touched was a mere $13. It soared to over $1,132 by the end of the year.

Old addresses holding such large amounts of Bitcoin likely belong to miners—people or companies—who started minting new coins during the digital asset’s early years.

Back then, new coins could be produced using desktop computers. But now in the increasingly industrialized Bitcoin mining world, companies use warehouses full of computers to process transactions on the crypto network.

A number of big, long-term Bitcoin holders—known as “whales”—have started moving coins this year as the cryptocurrency dubbed “digital gold” trades comfortably above $100,000. Such moves have, in the past, spooked markets, as traders largely interpret such reactivations of old wallets as an intention to sell off the stash.

At the moment, market sentiment on Bitcoin has once again flipped bullish, with users on Myriad—a prediction market developed by Decrypt’s parent company Dastan—now favoring a move to $125K over a drop to $105K at nearly 58%. Those odds had dropped as low as 29% just yesterday.

Back in July, a whale sold more than 80,000 Bitcoin—over $9 billion at the time—after holding the coins for 14 years. Analysts were initially puzzled, but institutional crypto firm Galaxy later revealed it had executed the sale for the unidentified Satoshi-era investor.

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September 29, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

Ethereum Whales Awakens After 8 Years, Moves $785M In ETH

by admin September 28, 2025

Two Ethereum (ETH) wallets that had been dormant for over eight years have become active, moving a combined 200,000 ETH, worth approximately $785 million, into newly created addresses. Blockchain data shared by the analytics account Lookonchain, indicates these addresses were originally funded via Bitfinex, linking the activity to early Ethereum participants.

The same entity now holds 736,316 ETH (around $2.89 billion) distributed across eight wallets, raising questions around the motives behind such a substantial transfer; the largest moves came from 0xbF3 and 0x057. Movements of this scale from long-dormant wallets are rare and tend to draw heightened market attention due to the potential impact on liquidity and investor sentiment.

Two wallets that have been dormant for over 8 years just woke up and moved 200K $ETH($785M) to 2 new addresses.

This Ethereum OG originally sourced their $ETH primarily from #Bitfinex, currently holds a total of 736,316 $ETH($2.89B) across 8 wallets.

Wallets:… pic.twitter.com/wVFzXZcL0o

— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) September 26, 2025

While it doesn’t confirm any selling intention, it does suggest potential custody restructuring, institutional onboarding, or updates to security practices. With ETH currently trading at $3,942 according to CoinMarketCap, any signs of distribution from early holders could quickly alter short-term price dynamics.

Ethereum cofounder shifts Millions

Before the sleeping whales grab headlines, Ethereum co-founder Jeffrey Wilcke quietly transferred 1,500 ETH (worth approximately $6 million) to Kraken on Thursday, as reported by Lookonchain. The transaction occurred while ETH was slipping from $4,000 to $3,900, triggering speculation about potential distribution.

Despite the small size move compared to whale flows, the timing drew attention. On-chain data suggests Wilcke still holds hundreds of millions in ETH across various wallets, positioning him among the most influential individual holders since Ethereum’s early days.

Whale activity can boosts tokens

Early this week, decentralized derivatives platform Aster has seen significant whale movement surrounding its ASTERtoken. The asset is now trading up to 50% in 24 hours, with a $1.52B market cap and $698M in daily trading volume.

These transfers suggest continued whale presence without signs of large-scale dumping, possibly pointing to early accumulation strategies post-launch. The pattern stands in contrast to typical post-token-launch behavior, where large holders rapidly offload positions.

In contrast, this week’s whale activity hid the co-founder’s move. The billions moved, raised larger questions about strategic custody changes or upcoming institutional use.

Also read: Whales Eye Plasma’s XPL Token A Day After Its Launch

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September 28, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

Sam Bankman-Fried’s X Account Awakens, Sends FTT Token Soaring

by admin September 24, 2025

In brief

SBF’s verified X account posted “gm” Tuesday evening despite prison restrictions on internet use.
FTT token surged 32% following the tweet, with volume climbing from $10.4M to $59M.
The FTX estate has filed a $1.1 billion lawsuit against Genesis Digital and plans to distribute $1.6 billion to creditors by September 30.

On Tuesday evening, Sam Bankman-Fried’s verified X account posted a two-letter greeting, “gm,” short for “good morning.”

While the greeting has become a familiar catchphrase in the crypto community, SBF’s message drew immediate attention because inmates in U.S. federal prisons are not supposed to have direct access to social media.

The account later clarified in a reply that SBF himself is not posting, and that a friend was doing so on his behalf, after this story went live.

FTT, the native token of the now-bankrupt FTX exchange, is trading at around $1.10 at the time of writing, up roughly 32% over the past 24 hours. Daily trading volume has surged almost sixfold, from approximately $10.4 million to nearly $59 million, according to data on CoinGecko.

Once used to cut fees and serve as collateral on FTX, the token lost its core utility after the exchange’s November 2022 bankruptcy. It continues to draw speculative trading interest during the estate’s liquidation process.

SBF, founder and former CEO of the shuttered FTX exchange, is serving a 25-year federal sentence after being convicted on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy for siphoning off billions in customer funds from the exchange and misleading investors about its finances.

He last tweeted at length months earlier in a series of posts reflecting on layoffs, workplace challenges, and even government bureaucracy, writing about the difficulty of firing employees, expressing sympathy for those facing unemployment, and joking about not checking emails for days.

A week later, he thanked former Fox News host Tucker Carlson for a prison interview.

Earlier on Tuesday, the FTX Recovery Trust filed a lawsuit against Bitcoin mining firm Genesis Digital Assets, seeking to claw back $1.1 billion. The lawsuit alleges that the company received preferential payments in the months leading up to the exchange’s collapse.

The move comes just days before the estate is set to begin its third major creditor distribution on September 30, which will release about $1.6 billion to verified claimants.

Tweets from prison

SBF was transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution Terminal Island in Los Angeles in April, after 18 months at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Under the Bureau of Prisons’ rules, federal inmates may use TRULINCS, a secure messaging system that allows text‐only communication (no attachments) with approved contacts. The system is monitored and screened, and does not grant access to the wider internet.

Possession or use of a contraband cellphone is strictly prohibited, and if discovered, it can lead to disciplinary action, including solitary confinement or docking of “good conduct time.”

Some inmates’ attorneys attempt to post statements: the inmate sends a text or letter to someone outside, who then posts it to their social media handles.

Decrypt reached out to Sam Bankman-Fried’s defense counsel at Shapiro Arato Bach LLP, as well as officials at the Federal Bureau of Prisons and FCI Terminal Island, for comment on the “gm” post but did not immediately receive a response.

Editor’s note: Additional details on who tweeted from SBF’s official account were later added to this story.

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September 24, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

Ethereum ICO Whale Awakens, Stakes $645 Million ETH

by admin September 6, 2025

In brief

An Ethereum ICO whale from 2015 moved $645 million worth of ETH from three wallets to a staking service.
The whale still holds $1.1 billion in ETH.
A Myriad Linea prediction market shows more than 70% of respondents believing that ETH will hit $5,000 by year’s end.

An Ethereum whale that scooped up one million ETH during the ICO in 2015 has moved $645 million worth of funds from three wallets to a staking service, onchain data shows.

The whale movement was initially spotted by EmberCN. The account noted that the whale appears to still hold $1.1 billion worth of ETH after having initially acquired one million ETH in the ICO.

In recent months, investor optimism about Ethereum has soared following the passage of crypto regulation that should benefit the network, and amid rapidly growing institutional interest in the asset that has fueled massive inflows into ETH exchange-traded funds.

Ethereum was recently trading just below $4,300, down slightly over the past 24 hours, according to crypto price aggregator CoinGecko, but it set a record high last month above $4,900 and is up more than 71% over the past three months.

Users on Myriad, a prediction market owned by Decrypt parent company DASTAN, are still confident that Ethereum will climb above $5,000 with 73% of them thinkingETH will surpass that milestone before 2026.

With the Bureau of Labor Statistics nonfarm payroll report showing a negative result for the first time since 2020, the odds of a September rate cut have risen and risk-on assets are pumping, Max Shannon, senior research associate at Bitwise, told Decrypt.

“Risk-on assets have screamed higher, as the DXY and USTs tank,” he said. “Not only did the jobs print come in lower than Wall Street estimates—it also showed that the prior month’s numbers were revised downward to show a loss in June.”

Shannon added the whale activity isn’t surprising as ETH balances on exchanges have been declining. But he noted that ETF flows have also weakened, after a strong streak in late August.

“This is a classic case of profit-taking given its recent run-up, coming into an uncertain scenario surrounding today’s macro releases,” he said. “I suspect the short term outlook for the next couple of weeks could turn positive again.”

Shannon said it’s very possible Ethereum makes it all the way to $5,000 this year, particularly because Bitcoin and ETH have been closely correlated.

“With the BTC-ETH correlation at 0.79, the BTC tide can still lift the ETH boat,” he said. “I suspect this correlation may actually strengthen.”

But ETH cracking $5,000 isn’t a sure thing, he cautioned. One of the things working against it is that it’s already had a big run.

“From a psychological viewpoint, it’s still very possible that investors rotate into non-ATH blue chips such as Solana to chase gains into year-end given strong crypto performance,” Shannon said. “This would hinder the chances.”

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September 6, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

Dormant Bitcoin Whale Awakens: BTC OG Rotates Into $577M ETH Long

by admin August 22, 2025

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Bitcoin is entering a decisive phase after setting fresh all-time highs last week but failing to trigger a clean breakout. Following the rejection below $125K, the market has shifted into uncertainty, with volatility rising and traders split on what comes next. Analysts are divided: some warn of a breakdown below current range supports, while others argue that this consolidation is just another step before a continuation higher.

Adding fuel to the debate, new on-chain data from Lookonchain reveals activity from a long-dormant Bitcoin OG. This wallet, which first received 100,784 BTC ($642M) seven years ago, has ended its dormancy with a surprising strategy. Instead of continuing to hold BTC, the OG sold a significant portion while rotating into Ethereum. The whale purchased 62,914 ETH ($267M) spot and opened a massive 135,265 ETH ($577M) long position.

The scale of this move is notable, signaling one of the boldest bets by an early Bitcoin holder in recent years. It underscores shifting dynamics in crypto markets, where institutional demand and cross-asset strategies now play a critical role. Whether this signals fading Bitcoin momentum or a tactical rotation remains to be seen, but the coming weeks could be decisive.

Bitcoin OG Whale Moves Align With Ethereum Rotation

According to Lookonchain, one of the largest Bitcoin OG wallets has been actively moving funds on-chain, depositing BTC into Hyperliquid to sell while simultaneously accumulating Ethereum. Tracking shows this OG originally received 85,947 BTC ($547M) around seven years ago, and the trading activity strongly mirrors the whale behavior reported recently.

Further on-chain analysis identifies six wallets tied to the same OG, collectively holding an enormous 83,585 BTC ($9.42B). The scale of these holdings confirms that we’re watching one of the most influential individual players in the crypto market.

Bitcoin dormant whale transactions | Source: Lookonchain

These recent moves do not necessarily signal a wholesale rotation from Bitcoin into Ethereum across the broader market, but they highlight the tactics of a large, strategic whale. The Bitcoin short positions opened could serve as a hedge against existing BTC exposure, protecting gains while reallocating into ETH. Alternatively, the OG might anticipate a stronger relative performance from Ethereum in the short to medium term.

The reality is that the exact motives remain unclear. Still, these actions align with the latest trend of asset rotation into Ethereum, fueled by institutional adoption, treasury strategies, and leveraged bets. Regardless of intent, the market impact of such large-scale moves cannot be ignored, as they add weight to Ethereum’s growing dominance narrative.

BTC Enters Critical Phase

The 8-hour chart shows Bitcoin trading at $112,779, holding just above its 200-period moving average (red line), currently positioned at $113,498. This level has become a crucial battleground between bulls and bears, as BTC tries to stabilize after losing the $120K zone earlier this month.

BTC consolidates below key levels | Source: BTCUSDT chart on TradingView

Price action highlights a clear lower high structure following the rejection at $123,217, which now stands as strong resistance. Since then, Bitcoin has struggled to recover momentum, consistently trading below the 50-period (blue) and 100-period (green) moving averages, signaling a bearish short-term bias. The confluence of these MAs around $116K–$117K marks a zone that BTC must reclaim to shift momentum back in favor of bulls.

For now, support at $112K is being tested repeatedly. A breakdown below this level could trigger further downside toward $110K, aligning with the broader market’s weakening momentum. On the flip side, if bulls manage to defend current levels and push price above the 50MA, the path back toward $118K–$120K could reopen.

Featured image from Dall-E, chart from TradingView

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August 22, 2025 0 comments