Bitcoin (BTC) addresses that contain more than 1,000 BTC – valued at $ 38.41 million at the time of this publication – now reach the highest record of 2,334, CoinDesk reported on Thursday.
What happened: “Whale” accounts, or accounts with large stakes in BTC, have increased 3.7% since December, when the number was 2,221, according to CoinDesk.
Compared to the previous 2017 bull market, large accounts grew 30%.
There are at least 6,633 addresses that hold more than $ 10 million in BTC, according to data from BitInfoCharts.
On Wednesday, the combined market value of cryptocurrencies surpassed the $ 1 trillion mark, with BTC alone enjoying a market capitalization of $ 685.76 billion.
CoinDesk Research’s quarterly review report noted that the fall in Bitcoin seen in late December evoked “little interest” in making profits by large holders.
Why it matters: Bitcoin reached an all-time high of $ 40,180.37 on Thursday and has returned 32.35% since the start of the new year.
When asked on CNBC’s break program on Thursday where Bitcoin was going, Chamath Palihapitiya, president of Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc (NYSE: SPCE) said: “probably going to a hundred, then 150 and then 200,000”.
“When I don’t know five, ten years, but it’s happening and the reason is because every time you see all of this happening, it just reminds you that, wow, our leaders are not as reliable and trustworthy as they used be, ”said the billionaire investor.
Palihapitiya described the high-end cryptocurrency as “safe” and said it gave people access to “uncorrelated coverage and that it will eventually make the transition to something much more important”.
The “king of SPAC” started investing in Bitcoin in 2012 and has since sold all of his individual bitcoins, opting to invest through companies that have cryptocurrencies.
See too: MicroStrategy now holds 70,470 Bitcoin after spending $ 1.1 billion in 2020
Price action: Bitcoin was traded 2.84% higher, at $ 38,338.34 so far. On Thursday, Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (OTC: GBTC) closed 2.37% higher at $ 44.97, and Grayscale Ethereum Trust (OTC: ETHE) closed 1.18% lower at $ 14.61.
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