ChainCatcher reported on November 11, 2026, citing Bitcoin.com, that activity from long-dormant Bitcoin wallets increased markedly during 2026.
Checkonchain data put the amount of BTC acquired before 2019 and activated in 2026 at about 227,196 coins. Converted at the value current to that report, the cohort was about $183.58 billion. Within the total, 186,123 BTC (81.9%) had been acquired from 2015 through 2018, 27,653 BTC from 2012 through 2014, and 13,419 BTC before 2012.
A separate Btcparser record covered dormant addresses from 2010–2017 and counted 873 transfers between January and October 2026, moving about 33,932 BTC. The source said activity was densest in the third quarter.
The same report noted specific early-address movements in 2026. On January 10, 40 addresses associated with 2010 mining moved 2,000 BTC within a few minutes. On September 5, early miner rewards were transferred. Four addresses created in 2016 moved 500 BTC each, in March, May, July, and October, a sequence the source described as regular.
These are measurements of on-chain activation and transfer, not of sales, exchange deposits, or proceeds received by holders. The Checkonchain and Btcparser figures use different acquisition windows, and the Btcparser series stops at October rather than covering all of 2026. The dollar total is the report’s current-value conversion; no marking price or exact valuation date is stated. Reactivation of old coins is one observable input to estimates of supply that could become available, but the source does not connect the transfers to price, to a change in token-holder claims, or to any valuation result.
Original article: ChainCatcher, published November 11, 2026.