Dormant Whales Stir Amid Bitcoin’s Cool Down — $28 Million in Vintage BTC Just Shifted

In the past 24 hours, bitcoin has slipped 1.8% against the U.S. dollar, and the bears have been calling the shots for the last two weeks, dragging the top crypto down by 13%. During the slump, a long-silent stash of 262.43 BTC—valued at just over $28 million—stirred from its digital slumber.

$28 Million in Bitcoin From 2013–2016 Wallets Move Amid Market Chill

On Oct. 22, 2025, six separate transactions from wallets dating back to 2013–2016 moved a combined $28.13 million in BTC. The activity, flagged by btcparser.com, surfaced just as bitcoin’s price has been running a little cold lately.

The first trio of wallets—minted in 2014, 2015, and 2013—sent out 10 BTC, 20 BTC, and 12 BTC apiece, but the fourth transaction packed a heavier punch. This specific BTC transfer was confirmed on Oct. 22, 2025, at 9:58 Eastern time and landed in a block mined by Foundry USA.

In essence, roughly 100 BTC moved from a long-dormant address created on Oct. 28, 2014, to a fresh Taproot address. After a few quick hops, the coins eventually settled into Bitstamp-controlled wallets, according to data from Arkham Intelligence.

When coins that old — especially from vintage wallets — make their way to a big exchange like Bitstamp, it’s often a telltale sign they’re being teed up for sale or liquidation. Arkham’s entity tag isn’t some loose connection either; it’s directly linked to Bitstamp’s verified hot-wallet cluster, meaning the 100 BTC is now sitting on-exchange and primed for action.

Following the 100 BTC shuffle, a 20- bitcoin transfer worth roughly $2.17 million zipped through the Bitcoin network, settling neatly in block 920,288. The sender — a years-old address born in March 2015 — dispatched the funds to a new Taproot wallet, shelling out 0.00000579 BTC (about 62 cents) in fees.

The block, mined by Foundry, weighed in at just 578 vbytes, and Blockchair’s privacy-o-meter rated the transaction a modest 45 out of 100. Lastly, btcparser.com spotted a wallet created on Sept. 23, 2016, moving 28.93535688 BTC — but that was just part of the action.

In total, 100.43 BTC, worth about $10.9 million, shifted in one clean transaction from this sender. The entity simply combined inputs from several old addresses, funneled 100 BTC into a new Taproot wallet, and dropped a modest $6.50 in fees. Foundry mined the block once again, with the privacy score landing squarely in the middle — not stealthy, but smooth, and efficient.

Altogether, the flurry of movement from these long-dormant wallets paints a curious picture amid bitcoin’s price slump. Whether it’s profit-taking, portfolio reshuffling, or whales testing the waters, one thing’s clear — even in a quiet market, old coins have a way of reminding everyone that Bitcoin never truly sleeps.

FAQ 💡

• What happened with the vintage bitcoin transfers on Oct. 22, 2025?Six long-dormant wallets from 2013–2016 became active, moving more than $28 million in BTC.
• Where did the transferred bitcoins end up?Blockchain data shows a portion of the coins were sent to Bitstamp-controlled wallets, according to Arkham Intelligence.
• How large were the total movements recorded?Roughly 262.43 BTC—valued at over $28 million—shifted across multiple transactions that day.
• Why are these old wallet movements drawing attention?Coins from vintage wallets rarely move, and when they do, analysts often watch for signs of market impact.