Claims that a Satoshi-era Bitcoin whale suddenly returned to the market with a multi-billion-dollar purchase have injected tension into an already fragile Bitcoin price action. The claims gained traction after social media posts on X revealed that an address dormant since 2011 had accumulated roughly 26,900 BTC, a move framed by some as a powerful bullish signal. However, a few others saw something very different. One warning revealed that the timing and context of the transfer pointed toward a setup that could lead to a large-scale distribution. Why Some Traders See A Major Red Flag Claims that a Satoshi-Era Bitcoin address might be actually buying billions of dollars’ worth of BTC took many investors by surprise. According to a crypto participant known as 0xNobler on the social media platform X, the whale address became active for the first time since 2011 and went all in on Bitcoin again. Such a purchase goes against the trend of Satoshi-era whales becoming active after many years to sell their holdings. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Hits Crash Line, But This Time Is Not Random The claim of purchase is very bullish on the outside, but there are also bearish interpretations of the move. The bearish interpretation is based on market psychology and the historical behavior of early Bitcoin holders. A wallet allegedly active since the Satoshi era would have acquired BTC at negligible prices, often well below $1. From that perspective, the idea that such an entity waited more than a decade only to buy aggressively near all-time highs appears illogical. A critic argued that sudden movements involving billions of dollars at the current price action indicate preparation. According to the critic, the entity behind the whale address is preparing to distribute. Large transfers into newly active wallets can be part of liquidity staging, designed to allow gradual distribution without causing immediate panic. Satoshi-Era Whale Story Appears To Be A Misunderstanding Closer inspection of the on-chain data indicates that the dramatic narrative surrounding this event rests on questionable assumptions. A few other crypto market participants pointed out that the circulated image claiming a Satoshi-era whale went all in on Bitcoin is edited and misleading, and that the receiving address labeled ‘3FsDiW’ may not belong to an early individual holder at all. Related Reading: Why The Bitcoin Price Could Crash Another 20% To $76,000 Soon Interestingly, blockchain trackers link the address to Twenty One Capital, with records showing that it was created only a few days ago and the first transaction was first received on January 10, 2026. Transaction history shows a small test transfer of 1 BTC to Bitfinex, after which the remaining funds were consolidated into the new address ‘3FsDiW’ from another wallet already associated with Twenty One Capital. Twenty One Capital is a publicly traded Bitcoin-focused company that reportedly holds more than 43,000 BTC on its balance sheet. This distinction matters, as it removes the existential fear implied by the original claims of a Bitcoin whale buying billions worth of Bitcoin. Featured image from Pngtree, chart from Tradingview.com
Twenty One Capital, a major player in the Bitcoin (BTC) treasury sector founded by Jack Mallers, is on the verge of going public in the United States. However, ahead of its highly anticipated debut on December 9, the company has moved a substantial sum of 43,500 BTC—approximately worth $4.5 billion—into an escrow wallet. This move has sparked market concerns about a potential sell-off, which could create major selling pressure for the leading cryptocurrency as it attempts to consolidate above the key $90,000 support level. $1.5 Billion Loss In Bitcoin Investments Experts on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), such as OxNobler, have pointed out that the company is currently grappling with a significant $1.5 billion loss on its Bitcoin investment. He warned that this financial pressure could potentially lead to a new crash for Bitcoin and adversely affect the broader cryptocurrency market as well. Related Reading: Here’s How High The Dogecoin Price Will Go Once The MACD Bullish Cross Happens The apprehension surrounding this situation is reflected in Bitcoin’s price action, as the leading cryptocurrency dipped below $90,000 earlier on Monday amid growing uncertainty about its future trajectory. However, Jack Mallers had previously addressed the reasoning behind this monumental Bitcoin transfer. According to him, this step is part of the preparations for Twenty One Capital’s upcoming listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). As part of the transaction, the company is transitioning 43,500 BTC from third-party custody to a self-custody account, ensuring transparency by updating its proof of reserves accordingly. The firm, backed by major players like Tether and SoftBank, aims to take on Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin proxy firm Strategy (previously MicroStrategy) in the competitive Bitcoin treasury sector. A significant milestone was reached on December 3, when shareholders of CEP approved a business merger with Twenty One Capital, paving the way for the company’s initial public offering (IPO). Once the transactions are finalized, the combined entity will operate as Twenty One Capital, Inc., with its shares expected to begin trading on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “XXI.” Twenty One Capital Gears Up For IPO Amid the preparations for its anticipated debut in the US, the firm has indicated that it will focus exclusively on Bitcoin-related ventures, offering shareholders new opportunities to gain exposure to BTC through equity markets. With a Bitcoin-native operating framework and a long-term strategy designed for value creation, Twenty One intends to establish itself as a leading platform for capital-efficient Bitcoin accumulation and related business initiatives. Related Reading: Analysts Split on XRP Future Outlook as Centralization Debate Intensifies This move to go public follows a tumultuous period for Mallers, who disclosed that JPMorgan Chase had abruptly closed his accounts in September without explanation. “Last month, J.P. Morgan Chase threw me out of the bank… Whenever I asked them why, I received the same response: ‘We aren’t allowed to tell you,’” Mallers recounted on November 23. The closure letter cited “concerning activity” and referenced the Bank Secrecy Act, preventing him from reopening accounts at the bank. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com
Bitocin treasury companies continue to accumulate a significant amount of BTC despite current market conditions and now control around 5% of the total BTC supply. These companies are led by Michael Saylor’s Strategy and Metaplanet, which have recently raised fresh capital to buy the dip. Bitcoin Treasury Companies Now Hold Over 1 Million In BTC Bitcoin Treasuries data shows that the top 100 public Bitcoin treasury companies currently hold 1,058,929 BTC, while all public companies combined hold 1,061,697. Notably, Strategy is the largest public Bitcoin holder with 650,000 BTC. Michael Saylor’s company yesterday announced another 130 BTC purchase for $11.7 million. Related Reading: Strategy’s Crash Rumors Intensify, CEO Reveals When $46 Billion In Bitcoin Will Be Sold Meanwhile, the second-largest Bitcoin treasury company is BTC miner MARA holdings, which holds 53,250 BTC. Tether-backed Twenty One Capital, Metaplanet, and Bitcoin Standard Treasury Company complete the top 5, with 43,514, 30,823, and 30,021 BTC, respectively. Meanwhile, companies like Coinbase, Bullish, and Trump Media are among the top 10 largest BTC treasury companies. It is worth noting that these public companies account for only a part of the Bitcoin treasuries. Further data from Bitcoin Treasuries shows that there is currently 4 million BTC in treasuries as a whole, including the coins held by governments, private companies, exchanges, DeFi platforms, and ETFs. BlackRock is currently the second-largest Bitcoin holder, only behind Satoshi Nakamoto. Strategy is third on the list, while Binance and the U.S. government complete the top 5, with BTC holdings of 628,868 and 323,588, respectively. The 4 million BTC held by these treasury companies as a group accounts for 19% of the total Bitcoin supply. Bitcoin treasury companies such as Strategy and Metaplanet have raised new capital amid the recent crash to buy more BTC. Saylor’s company recently raised $836 million from its STRE offering, which it used to buy 8,178 BTC. Meanwhile, Metaplanet raised $130 million to expand its BTC treasury. More Companies Set To Adopt Bitcoin More Bitcoin treasury companies are set to emerge as $10 trillion asset manager, Vanguard, will start offering BTC ETFs from today. Notably, some companies gain BTC exposure through these ETFs rather than buying Bitcoin directly. On-chain analytics platform Arkham Intelligence revealed that the largest U.S. bank, JPMorgan, holds $300 million worth of BlackRock’s BTC ETF. Related Reading: Analyst Who Predicted Bitcoin Price Action With Chinese Astrology Shares When Prices Will Surge Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that Bitcoin treasuries such as Strategy are coming under immense pressure amid the current market downtrend. Strategy’s CEO, Phong Le, admitted that they might have to sell Bitcoin as a last resort to fund dividend payments if their mNAV drops below 1x and they can no longer raise capital. At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price is trading at around $87,000, up in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Pngtree, chart from Tradingview.com
USDT issuer Tether has added a significant amount of Bitcoin to close out the third quarter, a development that has caught the attention of the crypto community. Tether’s CEO, Paolo Ardoino, also confirmed this purchase, as the company ranks among the largest BTC treasury companies. Tether Adds 8,889 BTC To Bitcoin Holdings Arkham data shows that Tether bought 8,889 BTC for $1 billion, with the coins transferred from Bitfinex’s hot wallet to the USDT issuer’s Bitcoin reserves wallet. The company now holds 86,335 BTC, which is valued at $10.23 billion. Ardoino also confirmed the purchase in an X post, highlighting their effort to keep accumulating BTC. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Reaches ‘Critical Junction’: How A Rally To $139,000 Would Play Out BitInfoCharts data shows that Tether is currently one of the largest Bitcoin holders, controlling 0.4% of the flagship crypto’s supply. Meanwhile, based on BitcoinTreasuries data, the USDT issuer will rank as the second-largest BTC treasury company, just behind Michael Saylor’s Strategy. Notably, Tether also has more Bitcoin exposure through its stake in Twenty One Capital (XXI), which is currently the third largest BTC treasury company, behind Strategy and Mara Holdings. XXI holds 43,514 BTC on its balance sheet, some of which it received from Tether as part of the USDT issuer’s investment. Meanwhile, Tether has made it clear that it intends to continue buying as much Bitcoin as possible. Ardoino stated last month that while the world continues to become darker, they will continue to invest part of their profits in safe assets like BTC, gold, and land. This came as he clarified that his company wasn’t selling Bitcoin to buy more gold but was instead buying both assets for their reserves. It is worth mentioning that Tether generates the most revenue among crypto protocols. DeFiLlama data shows that the stablecoin issuer has earned $22.27 million in revenue in the last 24 hours and $155.27 million in the last seven days. As such, the firm makes enough profits to keep buying BTC. The Bottom For BTC Notably, Tether’s latest Bitcoin purchase came just as the BTC price bottomed out. The USDT issuer had bought these coins when the flagship crypto was trading at around $110,000. Since then, BTC has staged a parabolic rally, beginning this month with a gain of around 6%. Bitcoin had dropped to as low as $108,000 about a week ago. Related Reading: These Analysts Predicted The Bitcoin Price Crash And Their Forecasts Say It’s Not Over Bitcoin is expected to record significant gains this month based on historical data. October is its second-best performing month, recording average gains of 20% over the years. Factors like a Fed rate cut could also help spark massive gains for the flagship crypto. At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price is trading at around $118,400, up over 3% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com