Dormant Bitcoin Wallet Awakens After 15 Years as Balance Soars From $120 to $539,000
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18.08.2026 23:22
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2 min read
An early holder of the first cryptocurrency has activated an address that remained dormant for over 15 years. The wallet transferred 8.54 BTC worth around $539,000, with analysts tracking the movement of funds to the Kraken crypto exchange.
“The coins arrived at the wallet on June 13, 2011, when the price of a single Bitcoin was around $14. At the time, the total market value of the stored 8.54 BTC was just $120. After 15.1 years of inactivity, the asset’s value has increased more than 4,600-fold (+461,981%).
On-Chain Analysis and Transfer to Kraken
According to research firm Galaxy Research, the movement of coins was recorded in block #962770.
Tracking service Onchain Lens established that the funds were sent to a deposit wallet on the US crypto exchange Kraken. The transfer to a centralized trading platform points to a likely preparation to take profits or reallocate assets, though there is no confirmation yet of a direct sale on the spot market.
Awakening of Early Crypto Holdings
As financial publication TheStreet notes, the identity of the address owner remains undisclosed. The activation of wallets from the early era of the blockchain sparks keen interest in the community, as a significant portion of the first mined bitcoins is considered lost forever due to lost passwords and physical storage drives.
The transaction is part of a broader trend: earlier in August, analysts recorded the awakening of another dormant wallet that had been inactive for 12.7 years, with its owner moving 500 BTC worth over $31 million.
