14-Year Bitcoin Whale Moves $4.7B After Galaxy Transfer

A Satoshi-Era Whale Awakens Again

A Bitcoin whale holding coins since 2011 has made another massive move, transferring 40,192 BTC—worth about $4.77 billion—to a fresh wallet, according to blockchain analytics platform Lookonchain. The move comes just two days after sending a similar amount to Galaxy Digital, raising questions about a potential sale.

The transfers mark a rare awakening for a wallet that has remained dormant for over 14 years, holding some of the oldest Bitcoin in existence.

Second Major Transfer in a Week

Earlier this week, data from Nansen revealed that the whale moved 40,009 BTC to Galaxy Digital. Soon after, Galaxy shifted 6,000 BTC to leading exchanges Binance and Bybit, fueling speculation that the transactions are linked to liquidation or portfolio reallocation.

Combined, the whale has now shifted over $9.5 billion worth of Bitcoin in less than 72 hours.

Source: Lookonchain

Origins of the Whale’s Fortune: April & May 2011

Lookonchain first flagged the whale on July 4, when it began redistributing its enormous holdings for the first time in over a decade. The stash is spread across eight wallets, all of which received Bitcoin during the early days of the network:

April 2, 2011: Two wallets received 20,000 BTC when Bitcoin was trading at $0.78 — a total value of just $15,600 at the time.

May 4, 2011: Six wallets received an additional 60,009 BTC at $3.37 per coin, worth about $202,000 then.

Today, those coins are collectively worth over $9.5 billion, underscoring Bitcoin’s astronomical growth.

Other Bitcoin Whales Still Holding Strong

While this whale appears to be moving toward an exit, several other early adopters remain steadfast:

Satoshi Nakamoto: Estimated to hold 1.096 million BTC, untouched since mining.

Winklevoss Twins: Co-founders of Gemini reportedly hold ~70,000 BTC.

Tim Draper: Venture capitalist owns around 30,000 BTC, purchased in a 2014 U.S. Marshals auction.

Michael Saylor: MicroStrategy co-founder personally holds 17,732 BTC, separate from his company’s holdings.

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