Key Points
- The supply of Bitcoin hovers around 20 million, with new coins being created through mining activities.
- Analysis of the Bitcoin blockchain reveals that close to a million unique addresses hold at least one entire Bitcoin.
- Because major Bitcoin holders, like crypto exchanges, often distribute their assets across numerous wallets, the estimated number of individuals possessing at least one Bitcoin is closer to 800,000.
The value of Bitcoin has largely remained above $100,000 for over four months after a previous decline earlier in the year. This has significantly increased the worth of nearly one million blockchain wallet addresses containing at least one complete Bitcoin.
Understanding Bitcoin’s Supply and Ownership
Currently, approximately 20 million Bitcoins (BTCUSD) are circulating. Although the total number has steadily increased since its inception, the rate of new Bitcoin creation has slowed significantly. This is primarily due to a process called “halving,” which reduces the reward for successful Bitcoin mining approximately every four years. This process will continue until the maximum supply of 21 million Bitcoins has been mined.
Publicly accessible data from the Bitcoin blockchain indicates that roughly 983,000 unique wallets hold at least one whole Bitcoin. In contrast, over 54.6 million wallet addresses contain fractions of a Bitcoin, ranging from as little as 0.00001 BTC (approximately $1.14 at recent prices) to just below one full Bitcoin.
However, it’s important to note that some large-scale entities, including cryptocurrency exchanges and “Bitcoin treasuries,” distribute their holdings across multiple wallets. This means the actual number of individual owners holding at least one Bitcoin is likely lower, estimated to be between 800,000 and 850,000. A prime example is Strategy Inc. (formerly MicroStrategy), a software company that has aggressively accumulated Bitcoin over the past five years, currently holding 628,791 BTC as of their recent quarterly earnings report.
According to blockchain records, the largest single Bitcoin wallet contains 248,598 BTC and is controlled by the cryptocurrency exchange Binance.
The Current Price of Bitcoin
Bitcoin’s price briefly exceeded $100,000 for the first time in December 2024 and again in January of the following year. Since May, it has largely remained above this level, reaching a peak of just over $123,000 on July 14th.
Over the past week, the cryptocurrency has been trading between $114,000 and $119,000, giving it a market capitalization of roughly $2.3 trillion. At the current price, Strategy’s (MSTR) 628,791 Bitcoin holdings are valued at approximately $72 billion.
Interesting Fact
Following Strategy’s significant increase in market capitalization—currently valued at around $108 billion, trading at a 33% premium over its Bitcoin holdings—companies like GameStop Corp. (GME) and Marathon Holdings (MARA) have also started to build Bitcoin treasuries, joining MSTR in this investment strategy.
Future Outlook for Bitcoin
Bitcoin’s price has experienced a considerable rise, driven by its increasing acceptance as a mainstream form of currency. Furthermore, a more supportive stance towards the cryptocurrency industry from the second Trump administration has played a role. Experts have suggested to Investopedia that the latter half of this year will be crucial for Bitcoin’s adoption as a reserve asset, as more and more companies choose to invest in cryptocurrencies.
Conclusion
With Bitcoin’s value exceeding $100,000, owning a complete coin has become a privilege held by a select group of less than one million wallet addresses worldwide. While the exact number of individual Bitcoin holders is estimated to be closer to 800,000 due to institutional holdings distributed across multiple addresses, significant growth in this number is unlikely. This is largely due to companies like Strategy and other emerging Bitcoin treasury firms continuously acquiring the digital asset.