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Dormant Whales Stir Amid Bitcoin’s Cool Down — $28 Million in Vintage BTC Just Shifted

This article was published more than a year ago. Some information may no longer be current.

In the past 24 hours, bitcoin has slipped 1.8% against the U.S. dollar, and the bears have been calling the shots for the last two weeks, dragging the top crypto down by 13%. During the slump, a long-silent stash of 262.43 BTC—valued at just over $28 million—stirred from its digital slumber.

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Dormant Whales Stir Amid Bitcoin’s Cool Down — $28 Million in Vintage BTC Just Shifted

$28 Million in Bitcoin From 2013–2016 Wallets Move Amid Market Chill

On Oct. 22, 2025, six separate transactions from wallets dating back to 2013–2016 moved a combined $28.13 million in BTC. The activity, flagged by btcparser.com, surfaced just as bitcoin’s price has been running a little cold lately.

The first trio of wallets—minted in 2014, 2015, and 2013—sent out 10 BTC, 20 BTC, and 12 BTC apiece, but the fourth transaction packed a heavier punch. This specific BTC transfer was confirmed on Oct. 22, 2025, at 9:58 Eastern time and landed in a block mined by Foundry USA.

In essence, roughly 100 BTC moved from a long-dormant address created on Oct. 28, 2014, to a fresh Taproot address. After a few quick hops, the coins eventually settled into Bitstamp-controlled wallets, according to data from Arkham Intelligence.

When coins that old — especially from vintage wallets — make their way to a big exchange like Bitstamp, it’s often a telltale sign they’re being teed up for sale or liquidation. Arkham’s entity tag isn’t some loose connection either; it’s directly linked to Bitstamp’s verified hot-wallet cluster, meaning the 100 BTC is now sitting on-exchange and primed for action.

Following the 100 BTC shuffle, a 20-bitcoin transfer worth roughly $2.17 million zipped through the Bitcoin network, settling neatly in block 920,288. The sender — a years-old address born in March 2015 — dispatched the funds to a new Taproot wallet, shelling out 0.00000579 BTC (about 62 cents) in fees.

The block, mined by Foundry, weighed in at just 578 vbytes, and Blockchair’s privacy-o-meter rated the transaction a modest 45 out of 100. Lastly, btcparser.com spotted a wallet created on Sept. 23, 2016, moving 28.93535688 BTC — but that was just part of the action.

In total, 100.43 BTC, worth about $10.9 million, shifted in one clean transaction from this sender. The entity simply combined inputs from several old addresses, funneled 100 BTC into a new Taproot wallet, and dropped a modest $6.50 in fees. Foundry mined the block once again, with the privacy score landing squarely in the middle — not stealthy, but smooth, and efficient.

Altogether, the flurry of movement from these long-dormant wallets paints a curious picture amid bitcoin’s price slump. Whether it’s profit-taking, portfolio reshuffling, or whales testing the waters, one thing’s clear — even in a quiet market, old coins have a way of reminding everyone that Bitcoin never truly sleeps.

FAQ 💡

  • What happened with the vintage bitcoin transfers on Oct. 22, 2025?
    Six long-dormant wallets from 2013–2016 became active, moving more than $28 million in BTC.
  • Where did the transferred bitcoins end up?
    Blockchain data shows a portion of the coins were sent to Bitstamp-controlled wallets, according to Arkham Intelligence.
  • How large were the total movements recorded?
    Roughly 262.43 BTC—valued at over $28 million—shifted across multiple transactions that day.
  • Why are these old wallet movements drawing attention?
    Coins from vintage wallets rarely move, and when they do, analysts often watch for signs of market impact.

About the author

WRITTEN BYJamie RedmanNews Lead

Jamie Redman is the News Lead at Bitcoin.com News and a financial technology journalist based in Massachusetts.