After rebounding earlier this year, the value of Bitcoin has largely held steady above $100,000 for over two months. This surge has significantly increased the value of nearly one million blockchain wallet addresses, each containing at least one complete Bitcoin.
Key Takeaways
- Around 20 million Bitcoins are currently available, with the supply gradually increasing through ongoing mining activities.
- Blockchain records indicate slightly under a million wallet addresses hold a minimum of one entire Bitcoin.
- Due to the practice of large Bitcoin holders, like crypto exchanges, distributing their holdings across numerous wallets, the estimated number of individual owners possessing at least one Bitcoin is closer to 800,000.
How Many Bitcoin Exist, and Who Controls Them?
The current Bitcoin supply is approaching 20 million coins (BTCUSD). While this figure has steadily increased since its inception, the growth rate has slowed significantly. This is primarily due to the process known as “halving,” where the reward for successful Bitcoin mining is reduced approximately every four years. This reduction will continue until the maximum supply of 21 million Bitcoins is reached.
Publicly accessible blockchain data reveals roughly 983,000 unique digital wallets hold at least one whole Bitcoin. Compared to this, over 54.6 million wallet addresses hold fractions of a Bitcoin, ranging from minuscule amounts (like 0.00001 BTC, worth approximately $1.14 at current rates) to nearly one full Bitcoin.
However, several prominent organizations and large-scale Bitcoin holders, including cryptocurrency exchanges and dedicated Bitcoin treasury companies, manage their assets across multiple wallets. Consequently, the estimated number of individual investors owning a complete Bitcoin is likely lower, falling between 800,000 and 850,000. The largest publicly known corporate Bitcoin holder is Strategy Inc. (formerly MicroStrategy), a software firm that has aggressively pursued a Bitcoin treasury strategy over the past five years, possessing 628,791 Bitcoins as of their latest quarterly report.
Analysis of blockchain information indicates that the largest single wallet contains 248,598 Bitcoins, controlled by the cryptocurrency exchange, Binance.
What is the Current Value of Bitcoin?
The price of a single Bitcoin initially exceeded $100,000 briefly in December 2024, and again a month later. Since May, the price has largely remained above this landmark, reaching a peak value of over $123,000 around mid-July.
Over the past week, the cryptocurrency has fluctuated between $114,000 and $119,000, resulting in a market capitalization of approximately $2.3 trillion. At these valuations, Strategy’s holdings of 628,791 Bitcoins are worth around $72 billion.
Quick Fact
Following Strategy’s growth in market capitalization—valued around $108 billion, it’s trading at a 33% premium over its bitcoin holdings—GameStop Corp. and Marathon Holdings have joined Strategy in pursuing a Bitcoin treasury strategy.
What’s Next for Bitcoin?
Bitcoin’s value has increased due to its growing acceptance as a mainstream currency, as well as a more favorable regulatory environment. The near future is considered a critical period for Bitcoin’s adoption as a reserve asset, with more companies planning to invest in cryptocurrencies.
In Conclusion
With Bitcoin’s value exceeding $100,000, owning a whole coin has become a rare distinction held by less than one million wallets across the globe. Factoring in that institutions spread their bitcoin across numerous wallets, it’s estimated that closer to 800,000 people own at least one bitcoin. As entities such as Strategy and other treasury firms actively acquire more of the digital currency, this number is unlikely to increase significantly.