Nov 27th 2024

A groundbreaking theory suggests that Bitcoin’s enigmatic creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, may not have disappeared but instead has been stealthily liquidating holdings from 2010-era wallets under the guise of the “2010 megawhale.”

According to a November 19 report from Bitcoin research firm BTCparser, hundreds of Bitcoin wallet addresses created in 2010, each containing 50 BTC, remained untouched until a significant activation in November 2019. Since then, these wallets have reportedly facilitated calculated sales of Bitcoin, raising speculation that Nakamoto himself could be behind these movements.

BTCparser’s analysis posits that Nakamoto may have deliberately avoided touching the original 2009 wallets to maintain anonymity, opting instead to utilize the later 2010 wallets. “If Satoshi has access to a treasure trove of 2010-minted coins, there’s no need to touch the original 2009 wallets,” the research states. This strategy would not only protect Nakamoto’s identity but also reduce public scrutiny of the more iconic 2009 holdings.

Strategic Liquidation of Funds

BTCparser outlined a detailed timeline of the whale’s cash-out strategy. The funds from these wallets were first pooled into a single Pay-to-Script-Hash (P2SH) address—often used for escrow—before being distributed to multiple bech32 addresses. Bech32, a modern address format, is favored for its efficiency and lower transaction fees.