Large Bitcoin transaction worth around $8 billion (80,000 BTC were moved)

Large Bitcoin transaction worth around billion (80,000 BTC were moved)

According to Arkham Intelligence, on July 5, 2025, one of the largest transactions in Bitcoin history occurred: 80,000 BTC (approximately $8.6 billion at current rates) were moved from addresses associated with the US government to new crypto addresses.

Transaction details

Total volume: 80,000 BTC
Estimated value: $8.6 billion
Move Time: Early morning New York time, completed by 11:00 a.m. ET
Transfer structure: coins were moved in batches of 10,000 BTC
Source: US government-linked addresses (specifically those linked to Silk Road seizures)
Purpose: new crypto addresses, previously unused

Context

This move has generated significant interest in the market as such volumes could impact Bitcoin’s liquidity and price.
Such actions are usually related to preparation for sale, relocation to more secure storage facilities, or internal government operations.

Source of information

The transaction details were published by Arkham Intelligence on their official account.

Note: Such large movements of funds from government addresses are usually tracked by analytics companies and can be an indicator of future actions in the cryptocurrency market.

x.com/arkham/status/1941186502488359409

The crypto addresses that received about $8.6 billion in Bitcoin (80,000 BTC) belong to an unknown “Satoshi Nakamoto-era Bitcoin whale.” The whale moved the coins from a wallet that had been inactive since 2011 to new addresses that had not been used before. According to Arkham Intelligence, these new addresses are associated with an early Bitcoin miner who mined coins between 2009 and 2011 and is believed to own about 200,000 BTC. The specific addresses are not publicly disclosed, but experts have linked them to the OG miner deciding to reorganize or prepare to sell his assets 1 2 6 8 .

About $8.6 billion in bitcoin (80,000 BTC) was moved from eight old addresses that were activated in April and May 2011 to eight new crypto addresses. These original addresses had been holding the coins for more than 14 years without movement, and the new addresses had not been used before. The moves occurred in batches of 10,000 BTC, starting on the morning of July 4, 2025, New York time 1 3 .

The specific new addresses are not publicly disclosed, but Arkham Intelligence analysts and Coinbase experts have linked these wallets to early Bitcoin miners — the so-called OG miners of the Satoshi Nakamoto era who mined Bitcoin between 2009 and 2011. The owner of these addresses is believed to have accumulated around 200,000 BTC during those years 3 .

Thus, new addresses are fresh wallets to which bitcoins have been transferred from long-inactive, historically significant addresses, but their exact public identifiers are not disclosed in open sources 1 3 .

Why These Large Transfers Are Linked to the Satoshi Nakamoto Era

The large Bitcoin transfers associated with the “Satoshi Nakamoto era” are explained by the fact that the coins were mined in the early years of the network’s existence, around 2009–2011, when Satoshi and early miners created the first blocks and received a reward of 50 BTC per block. These addresses remained inactive for a long time (about 14 years), which corresponds to the period when Satoshi Nakamoto and his circle stopped participating in the development of the network.

These transfers are believed to originate from an early “OG miner” — a person or group that mined Bitcoin during the network’s launch and may have accumulated significant amounts of coins, now worth billions of dollars. It is because of their association with such old, historically significant addresses and the period of their activity that these transactions are referred to as “Satoshi Nakamoto-era” transactions 1 2 .

In addition, Satoshi Nakamoto is considered the creator of Bitcoin and the owner of between 750,000 and 1,100,000 BTC, mined in the early years of the network and virtually unmoved since then, making any movement from such addresses extremely rare and significant 1 . Therefore, large transfers from addresses that have been inactive since 2011 are associated with Satoshi’s legacy and era.

Thus, the connection is due to the historical origin of the coins, the time of their mining and the long inactivity of the wallets, which points to early participants in the network close to Satoshi Nakamoto himself and his entourage 2 4 .

Signs that link large transactions to Satoshi Nakamoto’s early mining period include the following key points:

Age of source addresses: Coins were moved from addresses that were active in 2009-2011 and have been inactive for a long time (about 14 years). This corresponds to the period when Satoshi and the first miners were mining Bitcoin 1 5 .
Volume and nature of accumulation: Satoshi Nakamoto and early miners are believed to have received between 750,000 and 1,100,000 BTC for mining the first blocks. These coins have almost never moved, making their movement now a very significant event 1 .
Technical features of early mining: In the early years of Bitcoin, mining was done on CPUs, and Satoshi likely mined alone or with a small group, which explains the unique coin distribution patterns at these addresses 5 8 .
Long periods of inactivity: Long periods of wallet inactivity associated with the Satoshi era indicate that the owner either lost access to the keys or did not deliberately move the coins, which is typical for early network participants 1 6 .
Historical and analytical identification: Experts and analytics companies such as Arkham Intelligence associate these addresses with “OG miners” — early Bitcoin miners close to the network’s creator — based on analysis of address creation times and transaction patterns 1 5 .

Thus, the main features are the age and long-term inactivity of the addresses, the large volume of accumulated coins, as well as the historical connection with the first blocks and early mining, which allows us to associate these transactions with the era of Satoshi Nakamoto.

Why Nakamoto’s First Blocks Are Considered Key to Identifying His Activity

The first blocks mined by Satoshi Nakamoto are considered key to identifying his activity for several reasons:

Genesis Block as a Starting Point: The genesis block (the first block in the blockchain, mined on January 3, 2009) laid the foundation for the entire blockchain and set the technical parameters of the network, including the mining difficulty and the issuance model of bitcoins. All subsequent blocks are cryptographically linked to this block, making it a fundamental element of the network 2 5 .
Unique technical characteristics: The Genesis block contains a unique transaction with a reward of 50 BTC, which cannot actually be spent, and also has a specific nonce field value, found by Nakamoto during the mining process, which distinguishes it from all subsequent blocks 5 .
Timestamp and context: The block references a headline from The Times newspaper on January 3, 2009, which serves as a timestamp and a symbolic message reflecting Bitcoin’s mission as an alternative to the traditional financial system 2 5 .
Proof of Work and Consensus: The first blocks were mined using the Proof of Work mechanism, which Nakamoto implemented to ensure the security and decentralization of the network. Analysis of the mining patterns of these blocks helps identify the activity of an early miner – Nakamoto himself 1 2 .
Historical Significance: Since Satoshi Nakamoto was the only or one of the first miners on the network, the first blocks and the addresses associated with them are considered his “signature” on the blockchain. The long inactivity of these addresses and their special status allow transactions to be linked to the Nakamoto era 2 7 .

Thus, the first blocks are the technical and historical foundation of Bitcoin, unique in structure and time of creation, which makes them key to identifying the activity of Satoshi Nakamoto and the early stages of the network.

Why moving such large sums of money is of interest to cryptoanalysts

The movement of such large amounts of cryptocurrency is of great interest to analysts for several reasons:

Market and Price Impact: Large transfers, especially in the billions of dollars, can have a significant impact on the liquidity and price of a cryptocurrency. Such actions are often seen as a potential signal of upcoming market changes, such as preparation for a large sale or purchase 2 .
Smart Money Activity Indicator: Large transactions are often associated with the actions of institutional investors, large players and financial institutions – the so-called “smart money” that can set trends and influence market sentiment. Analyzing their activity helps predict future market movements 1 .
Risk and Security Monitoring: Analysts and law enforcement agencies are interested in monitoring large movements to prevent money laundering, terrorist financing and other illegal activities. This is important for compliance and maintaining confidence in the market 2 4 5 .
Investment and speculative purposes: Investors and traders use large transfer data to build their strategies, copy the portfolios of large players and assess market sentiment. This helps them make more informed decisions 2 .
Rarity and Historical Significance: In the case of the movement of coins mined during the Satoshi Nakamoto era, interest is heightened due to the rarity of such events and their potential impact on the market, as well as the historical value of these assets.

Thus, large transactions are an important source of information for analysts, investors and regulators, which helps to understand current and future trends in the crypto market, and also ensures control over the legality of operations.