Dormant Bitcoin worth $71 million reenters circulation

In the first 12 days of 2025, approximately 756.204 dormant bitcoins, valued at $71.8 million, have been reactivated after years of inactivity. 

This resurgence comes as Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) trades about 12% below its peak of $108,364, reached on December 17, 2024. 

The bitcoins that have reentered circulation were originally held in wallets created between 2011 and 2017, marking their first activity since inception. 

According to data from Btcparser.com, around 30 unique Pay to Public Key Hash (P2PKH) addresses were involved in the movement of these dormant bitcoins. 

Notably, two wallets from 2017 accounted for 199.99 BTC of this total, with transactions occurring on January 12, 2025. 

Evidence suggests that the same individual likely controlled both wallets involved in these transactions. 

The first transaction involved a wallet created on March 23, 2017, moving 100 BTC at block height 878,920, followed by a transfer of 99.99 BTC from another wallet created on the same date at block height 878,921. 

This month alone has seen a total of 421.793 BTC spent from dormant addresses dating back to 2017. 

Additionally, wallets from other years have also contributed to the reactivation, including those from 2015 and earlier.

The awakening of these dormant bitcoins highlights a trend where long-held assets are reentering circulation, reflecting changing behaviors among early adopters and long-term holders. 

These movements suggest that holders may be responding to current market conditions or personal milestones as they reactivate their assets. 

At the time of reporting, the Bitcoin price was $94,288.13.