In brief
- Galaxy Research data shows Bitcoin’s oldest cohort—coins dormant for a decade or more—stirring more prominently in 2026 than in most prior years, even though the year is only part way through.
- Six wallets dormant since 2011, 2012, and 2014 moved a combined 553.59 BTC (~$40.15 million) between Aug. 16 and Aug. 26, including a 40 BTC wallet last touched in May 2012.
- The awakenings come amid a choppy market: Bitcoin fell to $76,877 on Friday after Fed Chair Kevin Warsh delivered a hawkish Jackson Hole keynote that raised September rate‑hike odds to roughly 56%, while $2.8 billion in eight‑day ETF inflows and bullish Myriad traders keep the longer‑term outlook positive.
The most dormant Bitcoin on the network, coins untouched for a decade or more, is stimulating activity at an unusual pace this year, according to fresh data from Galaxy Research.
A chart the firm published last week tracks how much Bitcoin from each vintage “woke up” in each calendar year since 2012, sorted into age cohorts. The standout is the sliver at the very bottom of 2026’s bar: a visible band of 10‑year‑and‑older coins moving, rendered in red.
Several of the reawakened wallets carry a “Salomon Client Dusted” tag tied to the Noah Doe case, a New York lawsuit seeking to have roughly 39,069 dormant addresses declared abandoned property; named wallets have been stirring regularly since a judge paused the case in June.
Separately, around 233,000 BTC left long-term wallets during the Coldcard hardware-wallet exploit, as spooked holders rushed funds to safer setups.
The awakenings land during a choppy stretch for the market. Bitcoin fell as low as $76,877 on Friday, surrendering much of a double-digit weekly gain after Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh used his first Jackson Hole keynote to warn that inflation isn’t cooling fast enough and that the central bank still has “work to do.”
Traders read the remarks as hawkish, and odds of a September rate hike jumped to about 56% from 35% a day earlier, according to CME’s FedWatch tool.
Still, the longer-term backdrop remains supportive. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs drew $2.8 billion over eight consecutive days through Wednesday, their longest inflow streak since April, and Myriad prediction-market traders continue to favor a run toward $84,000 over a slide to $55,000.
