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It’s remarkable to watch an asset like Bitcoin, widely dismissed as a digital fad by those in traditional finance less than a decade ago, become an esteemed and respected investment within the higher echelons of global, traditional finance. Even in light of Blackrock’s watershed moment to launch a Bitcoin ETF and bring a flood of traditional investors into the space, wallets still hold more of the world’s most prominent digital asset than Blackrock.Even wallets that have been dormant since this period but recently became active again, also known as “Satoshi wallets,” hold a significant mystique. We’ll likely never know the true identity, given that multiple candidates have either claimed or been proven to be lying or the original Satoshi passing away.
As Bitcoin becomes more prevalent in multiple areas of our lives, including traditional investment tools like ETFs and online gambling, companies, individuals, and entities that hold billions of dollars worth of BTC become more influential in the price action.
Although using Bitcoin for gambling is far from the only use case it has, it’s the most straightforward example for those who still question the blockchain's capabilities or say it has no use case in traditional finance.
Bitcoin is the face of cryptocurrency, and while that can be a blessing and a curse at times, it means that this asset sees the most activity. However, with actual use cases like Bitcoin gambling helping to build an effective bridge for those looking to use their assets for payments they’d use traditional currencies for, the intrigue in who holds the most significant amounts becomes increasingly pressing.
Although Bitcoin gambling platforms hold BTC in their main wallets, the amount they hold dwarfs that of some of the wallets we will touch today.
#5 - Grayscale - 224,151 BTC - $12.21 Billion
If we had compiled this list a few years ago, Grayscale would have been much higher. Their main trust has seen significant portions of their BTC flow off their balance sheet since 2022 - with over $10 billion occurring in 2024. - which have been happily scooped up by Blackrock - which helped to balance the market.
Although these wallet holdings and values can fluctuate significantly given the volume they hold and the way the price can fluctuate, Grayscale will always be a formidable name in the crypto market - given that they have multi-million dollar holdings of other cryptocurrencies, too.
#4 - MicroStrategy - 226,500 BTC - $12.34 Billion
Although a few Bitcoin billionaires out there will chew any interviewer’s ear off at a moment’s notice about how revolutionary the asset is, Michael Saylor could take the crown as the most prominent advocate.
He sits at the helm of MicroStrategy and is perhaps most vocal when BTC is going through a downturn—his commitment to BTC is relentless. He has invested not only company funds but also $175 million of his own funds.
It stretches far beyond any profitability - he truly believes it is the future of finance. Although this belief made him the target of ridicule by some in traditional finance, as the asset continues to pick up momentum and visibility in the finance sector, it feels as though he’s slowly being proved right about his initial hunch.
#3 - BlackRock - 357,059 BTC - $19.45 Billion
It’s hard to believe that BlackRock only entered the market in early 2024, given that they have amassed the third largest holdings out of any entity in the world. It’s not a surprise, though, given that they’re the world’s largest asset management company. Not only are they now the largest BTC fund in the world, but they’re continuing to add to their holdings - don’t be surprised to see it become the largest wallet within the next 12 to 18 months.
#2 - Binance - 617,534 BTC - $33.65 Billion
As the world’s leading crypto exchange, Binance ensures at least a 1:1 parity in its BTC holdings to client ratio. This helps make it one of the safest exchanges for people to use, especially when they want to sell their assets during high volatility.
The 617,534 BTC is comfortably the second most significant holding of any entity. While they’ve been through some rocky turbulence of late—and BlackRock is slowly closing the gap—Binance’s BTC holding is enormous.
#1 - Satoshi Nakamoto - 1,100,000 BTC - $59.95 Billion
Although there’s been significant speculation about who Satoshi is, it’s unlikely that anyone will ever be able to find out for definite. Satoshi Nakamoto is, of course, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin.
Some have speculated that he is a lone operator, while others believe he is a team of designers. If all the BTC in this wallet were sold at BTC’s all-time high - Satoshi would’ve been one of the top 15 wealthiest people on the planet. Satoshi was active on internet forums throughout 2009 and 2010, but since 2011, there’s been no activity and no movement on wallets confirmed as Satoshi.
