Grayscale Bitcoin Trust’s alleged wallet addresses released by Arkham
Blockchain analytics platform Arkham Intelligence claims to have identified the addresses of the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust. The trust consists of more than 1,750 addresses holding a total of over $16 billion worth of Bitcoin (BTC), according to a Sept. 6 thread on X (formerly Twitter). Arkham claimed that Grayscale is “the 2nd largest BTC entity globally.”
Breaking: Arkham has identified the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust’s holdings on chain.
It is the 2nd largest BTC entity globally, holding >$16B of BTC.
Though Grayscale publicly reports balances, they have refused to identify the on-chain addresses of the trust. https://t.co/uEN4kNldpm pic.twitter.com/p9GfrthoKR
— Arkham (@ArkhamIntel) September 6, 2023
The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust holds over $16 billion in BTC. Its issuer, Grayscale, is currently battling with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as it attempts to transform the trust into an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Members of the Bitcoin community have long speculated about where Grayscale keeps its huge stockpile of BTC. Grayscale has so far refused to provide the addresses of its wallets, citing “security concerns.” Some Twitter users have criticized Grayscale for not releasing the addresses, accusing them of carrying less Bitcoin than they claim.
A search for “Grayscale Bitcoin Trust” within Arkham on Sept. 9 revealed the following five addresses:
- 16vd2YfcGK9mw3GZXzL5o23m7gdBGXKHNz
- 1GRGfd3TtBA2vMjoHH3hVpE6CRx5nZ1YJp
- 15gioFeKnUjerTQ9LYNreW3Bt9kn9xrTU4
- 1DtdMtJL2zggkoFPDbEbM2Ja1EYH8LeH9B
- 1CU9gusmCCfCjsmGatxbzvXLqoisgnaV9n
The first three addresses hold roughly $51 million worth of Bitcoin in total, according to Arkham. The last two hold no funds but do show transactions coming from other Grayscale Bitcoin Trust addresses, including 1L8k2SD9sdTTzdDxA19QdobLbUyKyV2RVi and 1CS1M4oVbcFnZjZ5hU5bk6vLi2Q5VSsmpX. Arkham does not provide a full list of addresses for the Grayscale entity, but it does label each Grayscale address clearly as part of the transaction history of each wallet.
Related: Vivek Ramaswamy: Grayscale win ‘clears a path’ for Bitcoin innovation
Grayscale’s entity page on Arkham shows it is carrying 627,779,000 BTC valued at over $16 billion.
This is similar to the amount claimed on Grayscale’s website, implying that it does have enough Bitcoin to satisfy withdrawals.
Arkham has often come under criticism for revealing private information about blockchain users, as some Twitter users have labeled it a “snitch-to-earn” platform. However, the platform’s CEO has argued the company is only trying to even the playing field between big institutions and smaller players who would otherwise lack information.
Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, marks their 50th birthday amid a year of rising institutional and geopolitical adoption of the world’s first cryptocurrency.
The identity of Nakamoto remains one of the biggest mysteries in crypto, with speculation ranging from cryptographers like Adam Back and Nick Szabo to broader theories involving government intelligence agencies.
While Nakamoto’s identity remains anonymous, the Bitcoin (BTC) creator is believed to have turned 50 on April 5 based on details shared in the past.
According to archived data from his P2P Foundation profile, Nakamoto once claimed to be a 37-year-old man living in Japan and listed his birthdate as April 5, 1975.
Source: Web.archive.org
Nakamoto’s anonymity has played a vital role in maintaining the decentralized nature of the Bitcoin network, which has no central authority or leadership.
The Bitcoin wallet associated with Nakamoto, which holds over 1 million BTC, has laid dormant for more than 16 years despite BTC rising from $0 to an all-time high above $109,000 in January.
Satoshi Nakamoto statue in Lugano, Switzerland. Source: Cointelegraph
Nakamoto’s 50th birthday comes nearly a month after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a Digital Asset Stockpile, marking the first major step toward integrating Bitcoin into the US financial system.
Related: Bitcoin at 16: From experiment to trillion-dollar asset
Nakamoto’s legacy: a “cornerstone of economic sovereignty”
“At 50, Nakamoto’s legacy is no longer just code; it’s a cornerstone of economic sovereignty,” according to Anndy Lian, author and intergovernmental blockchain expert.
“Bitcoin’s reserve status signals trust in its scarcity and resilience,” Lian told Cointelegraph, adding:
“What’s fascinating is the timing. Fifty feels symbolic — half a century of life, mirrored by Bitcoin’s journey from a white paper to a trillion-dollar asset. Nakamoto’s vision of trustless, peer-to-peer money has outgrown its cypherpunk roots, entering the halls of power.”
However, lingering questions about Nakamoto remain unanswered, including whether they still hold the keys to their wallet, which is “a fortune now tied to US policy,” Lian said.
Related: Bitcoin’s next catalyst: End of $36T US debt ceiling suspension
Is Satoshi Nakamoto wealthier than Bill Gates?
In February, Arkham Intelligence published findings that attribute 1.096 million BTC — then valued at more than $108 billion — to Nakamoto. That would place him above Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on the global wealth rankings, according to data shared by Coinbase director Conor Grogan.
Satoshi’s new addresses. Source: Conor Grogan
If accurate, this would make Nakamoto the world’s 16th richest person.
Despite the growing interest in Nakamoto’s identity and holdings, his early decision to remain anonymous and inactive has helped preserve Bitcoin’s decentralized ethos — a principle that continues to define the cryptocurrency to this day.
Magazine: 10 crypto theories that missed as badly as ‘Peter Todd is Satoshi’
The United States stock market lost more in value over the April 4 trading day than the entire cryptocurrency market is worth, as fears over US President Donald Trump’s tariffs continue to ramp up.
On April 4, the US stock market lost $3.25 trillion — around $570 billion more than the entire crypto market’s $2.68 trillion valuation at the time of publication.
Nasdaq 100 is now “in a bear market”
Among the Magnificent-7 stocks, Tesla (TSLA) led the losses on the day with a 10.42% drop, followed by Nvidia (NVDA) down 7.36% and Apple (AAPL) falling 7.29%, according to TradingView data.
The significant decline across the board signals that the Nasdaq 100 is now “in a bear market” after falling 6% across the trading day, trading resource account The Kobeissi Letter said in an April 4 X post. This is the largest daily decline since March 16, 2020.
“US stocks have now erased a massive -$11 TRILLION since February 19 with recession odds ABOVE 60%,” it added. The Kobessi Letter said Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement was “historic” and if the tariffs continue, a recession will be “impossible to avoid.”
Source: Anthony Scaramucci
On April 2, Trump signed an executive order establishing reciprocal tariffs on trading partners and a 10% baseline tariff on all imports from all countries.
Trump said the reciprocal tariffs will be roughly half the rate US trading partners impose on American goods.
Related: Bitcoin bulls defend $80K support as ‘World War 3 of trade wars’ crushes US stocks
Meanwhile, the crypto industry has pointed out that while the stock market continues to decline, Bitcoin (BTC) remains stronger than most expected.
Crypto trader Plan Markus pointed out in an April 4 X post that while the entire stock market “is tanking,” Bitcoin is holding.
Source: Jeff Dorman
Even some crypto skeptics have pointed out the contrast between Bitcoin’s performance and the US stock market during the recent period of macro uncertainty.
Stock market commentator Dividend Hero told his 203,200 X followers that he has “hated on Bitcoin in the past, but seeing it not tank while the stock market does is very interesting to me.”
Meanwhile, technical trader Urkel said Bitcoin “doesn’t appear to care one bit about tariff wars and markets tanking.” Bitcoin is trading at $83,749 at the time of publication, down 0.16% over the past seven days, according to CoinMarketCap data.
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