Bitcoin News Today: Bitcoin Whales Stir After Years, Spur $35M+ Moves and Market Volatility

Significant whale activity has emerged in the cryptocurrency market following years of inactivity, marking a pivotal moment as early adopters begin to reengage with Bitcoin and other major digital assets. A long-dormant Bitcoin wallet, inactive for over 12 years, recently moved 306 BTC—valued at approximately $35.37 million—as of July 2025. The funds originally cost the investor $23,700 in 2013, when Bitcoin was trading at $77 per coin. At current valuations, this represents a return of over 1,493 times the initial investment [1].

The movement from this “whale” wallet is not an isolated incident. Over the past month, several ancient and “Satoshi-era” wallets have also begun to stir. For example, in early August 2025, five Bitcoin miner wallets inactive for more than 15 years moved $29.6 million in BTC. These actions suggest a broader trend of profit-taking, as early adopters cash in on Bitcoin’s recent rally above $120,000 [2].

Whale activity has extended beyond Bitcoin. On the Ethereum side, a whale identified as “0xF436” withdrew 14,520 ETH—approximately $53 million—from exchanges within nine hours. This follows a large 38,606 ETH ($148.44 million) withdrawal made just five days earlier. Meanwhile, another whale, known by the short address “0xd8d0,” spent 178.36 million USDC within five hours to purchase 893 BTC and 20,000 ETH, valued at $103.5 million and $74.06 million respectively. These transactions were executed through Wintermute and Coinbase [1].

According to on-chain analytics, whale wallets holding 10–10,000 BTC have accumulated 0.9% of the total circulating supply over the past four months. This includes 30,000 BTC added in the last 48 hours alone. The buying pressure coincides with major profit-taking events, including one whale reportedly offloading $9 billion in Bitcoin via Galaxy Digital. Despite these movements, the broader Bitcoin market still holds around $1.4 trillion in unrealized gains, with 97% of the circulating supply in profit [3].

The increased whale activity is reshaping market dynamics. Institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals are not only buying Bitcoin but also expanding into Ethereum, Solana, and some memecoins. For example, SharpLink Gaming added $463 million in ETH in July, and similar movements have been observed with tokens like PEPE and WIF. This indicates a growing appetite for high-alpha opportunities, though the focus remains on established Layer-1 platforms [3].

The market has now entered its third major profit-taking wave in the 2023–2025 bull cycle, with $6–8 billion in realized value being offloaded. Despite these corrections, Bitcoin remains near $115,000, and the overall market cap is around $3.44 trillion, nearly unchanged from a week prior. This stability reflects a transition in market dynamics, as early adopters reevaluate their positions while new institutional players continue to enter the space [4].

Analysts suggest that the increased whale activity is also amplifying price volatility, particularly in low-liquidity conditions. Traders are now closely tracking wallet movements, as large-scale transactions can disproportionately influence price action. These developments are seen as a sign of a maturing market, where price discovery is driven by a more diverse set of participants [5].

Source:

[1] "After 12 Years of No Movement, Bitcoin Whale Woke Up" (https://en.bitcoinsistemi.com/after-12-years-of-no-movement-bitcoin-whale-woke-up-here-is-the-profit/)

[2] "Bitcoin News Today: Five ancient miner wallets move $29.6M after 15 years of dormancy" (https://www.ainvest.com/news/bitcoin-news-today-ancient-bitcoin-miner-wallets-move-29-6m-15-years-dormancy-2508-/)

[3] "Bitcoin Whales Bought 1% of Circulating BTC Supply in..." (https://decrypt.co/332924/bitcoin-whales-1-percent-circulating-btc-supply)

[4] "Bitcoin Drops to $115K as Third Major Profit-Taking, New..." (https://cryptoadventure.com/asia-morning-briefing-bitcoin-drops-to-115k-as-third-major-profit-taking-new-tariff-tensions-add-pressure/)

[5] "Bitcoin Price Prediction: Satoshi-Era Wallets Wake Up After..." (https://cryptonews.com/news/bitcoin-price-prediction-satoshi-era-wallets-wake-up-after-15-years-whats-going-on/)