The emergence of a colossal Bitcoin whale named “Mr. 100,” has stirred waves of intrigue. This entity’s wallet, swelling with over 52,996 Bitcoin valued north of $3.5 billion, has become a focal point for analysts.
Notably, on March 15, this whale outdid itself by acquiring at least 1,000 BTC. It seized a staggering 52% of the total buys by the top 10 spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
Since the downfall of crypto exchange FTX in November 2022, Mr. 100 has been on an aggressive accumulation path. It enhanced its holdings by at least 100 BTC daily since mid-February 2023.
Intriguingly, the wallet’s behavior indicates a broader strategy, with significant transfers from a secondary wallet that has followed a similar pattern since 2019. This revelation positions Mr. 100 as a seasoned player, engaged in the crypto market well before the current bull run.
Speculations abound regarding the true nature of Mr. 100. They range from a Hong Kong financial institution laying the groundwork for Bitcoin ETFs to sovereign wealth funds from the Middle East or even a tech titan’s covert cryptocurrency venture. Despite the flurry of guesses, Arkham Intelligence’s investigation offers a compelling theory.
The blockchain forensics platform identified Mr. 100’s wallet as an Upbit cold wallet. This classification stems from the wallet’s transactions and its association with other Upbit addresses, which is a typical exchange cold wallet’s operational pattern.
“Mr. 100 is in fact an Upbit Cold Wallet. This is because of its strong and consistent associations to other Upbit Wallets, which match the pattern of a typical exchange cold wallet. The ‘Mr. 100’ address receives the 100 BTC inflows primarily from sweeping Upbit deposit wallets. Some of its outflows also fund Upbit Hot Wallets used for customer withdrawals,” analysts at Arkham Intelligence said.
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Arkham Intelligence’s commentary demystifies the enigma surrounding Mr. 100, proposing that rather than embodying a single entity’s strategic market play, it represents the machinations of an established cryptocurrency exchange. This sheds light on the critical role of cold wallets in the secure management of digital assets.