Bitcoin whale moves $378M after 6 years: Is a selloff coming?
A Bitcoin whale has transferred 4,582 BTC worth approximately $377.6 million to five addresses after holding the coins for more than six years, as Bitcoin faces renewed selling pressure near $83,000.
- A Bitcoin whale transferred 4,582 BTC worth approximately $377.6 million across five separate receiving addresses.
- Four receiving addresses obtained 1,000 BTC each, while the fifth received approximately 582 BTC separately.
- The original wallet received its Bitcoin in March 2020, when holdings were worth $40.8 million.
- Another dormant Bitcoin wallet transferred 4,500 BTC worth $375.7 million after four years of inactivity.
- CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost reported negative Coinbase premiums, suggesting relatively stronger selling pressure among U.S. participants.
Blockchain analytics platform Lookonchain reported the transfer on October 12, identifying the sender as wallet 18VmXvkF4cgLi35RtMiHHDpvMjUCyVpQ9x. The coins were divided among five receiving addresses, with four obtaining 1,000 BTC each and the fifth receiving approximately 582 BTC. The recipient wallets had not moved their funds at the time of the initial analysis.
Bitcoin whale moves $378 million after years of holding
According to Arkham’s blockchain records, the sending wallet originally received 4,582 BTC on March 3, 2020. The holdings were valued at approximately $40.8 million at the time, when Bitcoin was trading near $8,900. At the valuation reported for Monday’s transfer, the same balance was worth roughly 9.3 times its original value.
The funds originally came from Bitcoin address 17VX1BEjYVyBMi2vw6nXDrpwMvCSweHZot. Blockchain records indicate that the wallet retained nearly its entire balance through the market crash of March 2020, when Bitcoin briefly dropped below $4,000 following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although the wallet is being described as dormant for six years, its transaction history shows a small outgoing payment in August 2024. The transfer involved 0.009 BTC, with the remaining funds returned to the same wallet. Monday’s movement was therefore its first major transfer since receiving the coins in March 2020, not its first outgoing transaction of any size.
At the time of reporting, the five recipient addresses had not been identified as exchange deposit wallets. Lookonchain did not establish whether the addresses belonged to different owners or were controlled by the original holder. No confirmed sale accompanied the transfer, leaving its purpose unknown.
The movement adds to a series of large transfers from dormant Bitcoin wallets recorded during 2026. In July, another wallet that had remained inactive for more than eight years transferred 5,908 BTC worth approximately $383 million. Onchain records in that case did not establish that the coins had been sold.
Another dormant Bitcoin whale transfers 4,500 BTC
The latest transaction follows another large Bitcoin transfer involving a long-inactive wallet. Last week, address bc1q4hm96naa2ydcqlxpwlvljvrnt5svm8ejcqnhj0 moved approximately 4,500 BTC worth $375.7 million after more than four years of inactivity.
The transaction was separately identified through blockchain monitoring, with the funds transferred to another Bitcoin address. Available records did not establish whether the owner intended to sell, move assets into custody or reorganize holdings across wallets.
Combined, the two reported movements involved approximately 9,082 BTC valued at $753.3 million using their respective transaction-time prices. The transfers occurred on different dates and came from separate wallets, with no established connection between their owners.
Similar activity has been recorded throughout the year. In July, Arkham identified a wallet that transferred 2,931 BTC worth approximately $188 million after seven years without major activity. The holder had acquired the coins when Bitcoin traded near $6,500, leaving the wallet with substantial unrealized gains before the transfer.
Onchain monitoring firms track long-held coins through measures including Coin Days Destroyed and Spent Output Age Bands. CryptoQuant uses such indicators to examine when older Bitcoin holdings become active. Movements involving long-held coins can accompany selling activity, although wallet transfers alone do not establish whether the owner has liquidated any assets.
