Bitcoin wallets holding at least $100 rise to nearly 30M

The number of Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) wallets containing at least $100 has seen significant growth, nearing historical highs.

According to data from Binance, this figure has surged from 24 million in January 2024 to almost 30 million by early 2025, marking a year-on-year increase of 25%.

This trend indicates a growing influx of new participants into the cryptocurrency market, reflecting renewed interest and optimism.

“This trend reflects an influx of new participants into the market, signaling renewed interest and optimism for the cryptocurrency,” Binance noted.

Historically, spikes in wallet counts holding $100 or more have been associated with bull markets, such as those seen in late 2017 and 2021.

A similar surge occurred in mid-2024 when Bitcoin surpassed the $100,000 milestone.

Institutional adoption has also played a crucial role in this growth, particularly following the approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs like BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust.

By the end of 2024, ETF holdings had doubled to 1.25 million BTC, with IBIT managing over $50 billion in assets.

In addition to wallet growth, Bitcoin's network security has reached new heights, with the hashrate exceeding 800 exahashes per second (EH/s) in January 2025.

This represents a 33% increase from the previous year and indicates strong miner activity and confidence in Bitcoin's future. 

Market sentiment remains robust, with CryptoQuant reporting that 86% of Bitcoin in circulation is currently “in profit.”

“Bitcoin retail investors with [less than] 1 BTC are selling, while the others with [greater than or equal to] 1 BTC are buying,” stated Ki Young Ju, CEO of CryptoQuant, highlighting a divergence in holder behavior.

Ju suggested that we may be entering the late stage of the current Bitcoin bull market, with new retail investors continuing to enter while institutional interest persists.

At the time of reporting, the Bitcoin (BTC) price was $101,307.