A mysterious Bitcoin buyer has quietly amassed billions worth of bitcoin over the past two years making the unknown address one of the largest single holders of the cryptocurrency as the race to a new all-time high continues. According to data from Bitinfocharts, after patiently buying bitcoin almost daily since November 2022, the whale’s wallet now holds over 54,164 BTC, worth around $3.2 billion, according to Decrypt.
This whale, dubbed “Mr. 100” due to his purchases of an average of 100 bitcoin per day since November 2022, may not be a single investor, and could belong to an investment fund or one of the big banks behind one of the several spot Bitcoin ETFs now available, although some are skeptical.
“It’s definitely possible, but I would say unlikely,” Amberdata Director of Research Chris Martin told Decrypt. “All of the ETFs have publically shared their addresses, so it would be strange to me if they didn’t share this one.”
This wallet has purchased an average of 100 #Bitcoin per day since November 2022.
It now holds 51,164 $BTC worth $3.1 billion. pic.twitter.com/cXpp97NfCC
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) March 2, 2024
According to Amberdata, the wallet has been accumulating Bitcoin since November 2022, using Binance and KuCoin.
While the US Government has also accumulated an huge amount of Bitcoin – estimated to now be worth over $12 billion -Martin doesn’t see the Biden Administration being behind the address. One tell: the digital assets are coming from Binance and KuCoin,
“It might be safe to rule out a U.S. entity or bank,” Martin said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a fund of some kind.”
Hong Kong is said to be mulling 31 applications for crypto custodians, he noted. A recent expose from Reuters echoed what we first said back in September 2015 (when we recommended buying bitcoin at a price of $230), namely that a silent flood of Chinese buying may be one of the core drivers behind the recent meltup. “Mr. 100″ may just be one of them.
Martin also said he does not believe the wallet is someone loading up in preparation for the upcoming Bitcoin halving in April.
“I would say not—they could just be supporting the price run-up rather than accumulating tokens for a specific event,” he said.
“I think it’s interesting that they’ve generally received the same amount on every transaction—about 100 BTC—throughout their existence,” Martin added. “Why they chose 100 BTC is beyond me… possibly a limitation of their funding source.”
While speculation around the identity of “Mr. 100” whale remains, sentiment in the cryptocurrency market is riding high, and the countless entities loading up on Bitcoin – especially in the recently launched ETFs – point to signs that the bull market is indeed back and running.
The mystery whale isn’t the only that has been making waves in recent days: in April, a wallet from the early days of Bitcoin moved over $11 million in BTC after being dormant for 12 years. That same week, another Bitcoin wallet moved $8 million in BTC after ten years of inactivity. In November, another Bitcoin whale made waves after analysts discovered wallet holding $450 million in Bitccoin.
Tyler Durden
Sun, 03/03/2024 – 11:05
