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Bitcoin whale dormant since 2012 moves $147 million in BTC

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A bitcoin whale wallet dormant since 2012 has moved 2,100 BTC worth $147 million after 13.7 years, stoking debate over lost coins, whale psychology, and market risk.

Summary

  • A wallet inactive since 2012 moved 2,100 BTC on March 20, 2026, now worth about $147 million versus just $13,685 when last touched.
  • The move, flagged by Whale Alert, comes as over $1.87 billion in leveraged bitcoin longs sit near liquidation if price slips below $66,827.
  • Analysts say such awakenings highlight both psychological overhang from early whales and how much BTC supply is locked in long-dormant or lost wallets.

A Bitcoin (BTC) address that had sat completely untouched for nearly 14 years was activated on March 20, 2026, sending shockwaves through the on-chain analytics community. The wallet, which had been dormant since 2012, held 2,100 BTC — worth approximately $147 million at current prices. When the coins were last moved, they were valued at just $13,685 in total.

The movement was flagged by Whale Alert, a blockchain tracking service that monitors large and unusual cryptocurrency transfers. The activation of wallets this old is an exceptionally rare event and typically draws intense scrutiny from analysts, traders, and the broader crypto community — both for what it signals about early adopter behavior and for the potential market impact of such a large, sudden transfer.

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The 2,100 BTC tranche represents a staggering return. At the 2012 price implied by the $13,685 valuation, Bitcoin was trading at roughly $6.50 per coin. With BTC now hovering around $69,700, the holder is sitting on a return of more than 10,000x — one of the most extraordinary wealth preservation stories the asset class has produced.

The identity of the wallet’s owner remains unknown, as is standard with pseudonymous Bitcoin addresses. Speculation has already begun as to whether the coins belong to a long-forgotten early miner, a pioneer investor from Bitcoin’s earliest days, or potentially a wallet connected to a now-dormant project or exchange from that era. Some analysts have also raised the question of whether the movement could be linked to estate activity, with heirs or executors accessing wallets belonging to early adopters who have since passed away.

What makes the timing notable is the current market context. Bitcoin has been navigating a period of uncertain momentum, with CoinGlass data flagging over $1.87 billion in leveraged long positions at risk of liquidation if the price falls below $66,827. The sudden reactivation of a wallet of this size naturally raises concerns about potential selling pressure — though a single transfer does not necessarily indicate an intent to sell, as coins may simply be moving to a new custody arrangement or cold storage solution.

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Historically, the reactivation of very old Bitcoin wallets has served as a psychological trigger for the market, prompting debate about the long-term conviction of early holders and the nature of Bitcoin’s supply dynamics. With roughly 4 million BTC estimated to be permanently lost and millions more held by long-term holders who have never sold, movements like this are a reminder that Bitcoin’s available supply is far more constrained than its total circulating figure suggests.

Whether these coins ultimately hit the open market or simply settle into new cold storage, the awakening of a 13.7-year dormant whale is a stark illustration of just how long Bitcoin’s history now runs — and how much early wealth remains locked in its blockchain.

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Crypto World

Grayscale Files S-1 for Hyperliquid ETF, Expanding Crypto ETF Field

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Crypto Breaking News

Grayscale has moved to bring a spot Hyperliquid exchange-traded fund to market, filing for a product that would track the Hyperliquid (HYPE) token and potentially trade on Nasdaq under the ticker GHYP if approved. The filing positions Grayscale alongside Bitwise and 21Shares in pursuing a dedicated on-exchange vehicle tied to Hyperliquid’s perpetual futures protocol and associated assets.

The company’s S-1 registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission confirms Coinbase as the custodian for the proposed ETF, though it does not disclose a management fee for GHYP. Notably, Grayscale indicates in the filing that staking rewards could be added to the ETF in the future, provided certain conditions are met.

Key takeaways

  • Grayscale filed an S-1 with the SEC for a spot Hyperliquid ETF (GHYP) that would trade on Nasdaq if approved, marking a continued push by traditional asset managers into tokenized, 24/7-trading instruments.
  • Coinbase is named as the custodian, but no management fee for the proposed ETF is disclosed in the filing.
  • The filing leaves open the possibility of incorporating staking rewards into GHYP later, subject to regulatory and other conditions.
  • Hyperliquid remains a dominant force in perpetual futures trading, with weekly volumes typically ranging from $40 billion to $100 billion, according to DeFiLlama data, while total weekly perps volume hovers between $125 billion and $300 billion this year.

Grayscale’s Hyperliquid bet and what it signals for investors

The S-1 filing outlines a strategy for offering a spot ETF that would provide direct exposure to the Hyperliquid ecosystem through the HYPE token. If cleared by regulators, GHYP would give investors a traditional market access path to a crypto-native instrument designed to track the price movements of Hyperliquid’s tokenized futures protocol. Grayscale’s choice of Nasdaq as a potential listing venue reflects a broader trend of bridging traditional exchanges with crypto-native assets, aiming to attract institutional participants seeking regulated, familiar trading rails.

Crucially, the document confirms Coinbase as the ETF’s custodian, anchoring the product to a widely used on-ramp and custody provider in the crypto ecosystem. However, the filing does not reveal a management fee, leaving a key detail for future disclosure and regulatory review.

Beyond current exposure, Grayscale notes a potential expansion: staking rewards could be integrated into GHYP at a later date if certain conditions are satisfied. That possibility would offer an additional yield channel for investors, on top of potential price appreciation of the HYPE token. The idea of staking-enabled ETFs has floated around in contemporaneous filings by peers, signaling growing appetite for yield-bearing crypto products among institutional issuers.

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Hyperliquid’s enduring role in the perpetuals market

Hyperliquid has established itself as a central venue for perpetual futures trading, a niche that blends crypto assets with continuous, derivatives-like exposure. Even as weekly trading volume for the platform cooled from its August peak, DeFi analytics show Hyperliquid handling between roughly $40 billion and $100 billion in weekly volume, keeping it at the top among perps platforms. DeFiLlama’s data corroborates Hyperliquid’s dominant position in the space, even as newer entrants emerged in 2025—Aster, Lighter, and edgeX—each carving out their own slices of the market but typically handling far less weekly volume than Hyperliquid.

Industry observers note that the broader perps market continues to move in sizable increments. Total weekly perps trading volume for the sector has hovered roughly between $125 billion and $300 billion this year, still well above levels from a year ago and signaling sustained demand for tokenized leverage and cross-asset exposure, particularly in a 24/7 trading environment that Hyperliquid helps to showcase.

Grayscale’s filing arrives amid a wave of interest in Hyperliquid-linked products from other asset managers. Bitwise filed for its own Hyperliquid spot ETF last year and amended the prospectus in December to include staking, while 21Shares signaled in its October filing that staking could be incorporated at a later date. These filings collectively illustrate a broader push to bring synthetic, crypto-native trading paradigms into regulated, exchange-traded formats that would be palatable to traditional financial audiences.

What to watch next

Regulatory review will determine whether GHYP can proceed to a Nasdaq listing. Investors should monitor not only the SEC’s assessment of the product’s structure and disclosures but also how Grayscale and other issuers address staking provisions, which could add yield opportunities while introducing new considerations around risk, custody, and volatility. As Hyperliquid and its competitors evolve, readers should track whether staking becomes a standard feature across spot Hyperliquid ETFs and how market liquidity and regulatory expectations shape those trajectories.

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Risk & affiliate notice: Crypto assets are volatile and capital is at risk. This article may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure

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Grayscale Files For Spot Hyperliquid ETF

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Grayscale Files For Spot Hyperliquid ETF

Unlike Bitwise, Grayscale doesn’t plan to incorporate staking for its Hyperliquid ETF but hasn’t ruled out integrating it in the future.

Crypto asset manager Grayscale has filed for a spot Hyperliquid exchange-traded fund, joining Bitwise and 21Shares in seeking to offer a product tied to the Hyperliquid perpetual futures protocol and blockchain.

The Grayscale HYPE ETF would track the price movement of the Hyperliquid (HYPE) token and trade under the ticker GHYP on the Nasdaq if approved, according to Grayscale’s S-1 registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday.

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Grayscale listed Coinbase as the custodian but didn’t disclose a management fee for the proposed Hyperliquid product.

Grayscale’s S-1 filing for a Hyperliquid ETF. Source: SEC

Grayscale’s filing comes as Hyperliquid continues to be integrated by crypto platforms and be increasingly relied on by TradFi when traditional markets are closed, as it offers 24/7 trading for tokenized real-world assets like oil and gold.

Grayscale said it may consider incorporating staking rewards into its Hyperliquid ETF at a later date, provided certain conditions are met. 

Related: Morgan Stanley files amended S-1 for MSBT Bitcoin ETF

Staking would enable GHYP investors to earn yield on top of potential price appreciation from the HYPE token.

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Bitwise filed for its Hyperliquid ETF in September and amended it in December to include staking, while 21Shares also contemplated incorporating staking at a later date in its October filing.

Hyperliquid continues to dominate perps trading

While trading volume on Hyperliquid has cooled off from its August highs, it continues to see between $40 billion and $100 billion in weekly volume — maintaining its position as the most traded perps futures platform, DeFiLlama data shows.