The Bitcoin market reveals a fascinating landscape when we inspect its ownership distribution. Through a meticulous examination of the recent data, some unexpected yet enlightening trends have emerged, which give us an insight into the ever-changing crypto market dynamics.
A Rise in Retail Investment
Santiment highlights that Bitcoin addresses, often called ‘non-whale’ addresses, holding fewer than 100 BTC, have reached an unprecedented high. These addresses now claim ownership of 41.1% of the available Bitcoin supply. This surge indicates a mounting enthusiasm among retail investors and nascent market participants, a momentum gaining traction for quite a while.
Conversely, the Bitcoin market’s dominant players, known as ‘whales‘ – those possessing between 100 to 100,000 BTC – have witnessed a decrement in their holdings. Accounting for 55.5% of the total Bitcoin supply, this is the smallest they’ve owned since the previous May. Historically, the activity of these whales has been a defining factor in the fluctuations of Bitcoin prices.
Bitcoin Exchange Balances: A Closer Look
CoinGlass provides intriguing insights into the Bitcoin balances of major centralized exchanges (CEXs). Binance, a global crypto exchange behemoth, tops this list, harboring around 543,892 BTC. Despite this massive reserve, Binance has seen a considerable outflow of 15,597 BTC in just the past month. This shift might hint at a growing preference for self-custody solutions among its users.
Following Binance, Coinbase Pro’s reserves stand at 436,235 BTC. In the same timeline, it reported a net withdrawal of 210 BTC. Bitfinex isn’t too far behind, holding 368,856 BTC, but it too has seen an exodus of 5,183 BTC recently.
However, standing out from this trend is OKX. With a current balance of 124,017 BTC, it has witnessed a remarkable inflow of 4,642 BTC over the last 30 days. This anomaly might suggest OKX’s burgeoning appeal to new traders or its unique market position.
CryptoQuant’s analysis reveals that since July 2021, Bitcoin outflows from exchanges have been downward. Current figures show just a tad above two million BTC left on these platforms. A decrease in exchange-held Bitcoin might signal that investors increasingly choose to store their assets in personal wallets, often a precursor of long-term bullish sentiment.