Satoshi's 1.1M Bitcoin remains untouched

• Blockchain researchers estimate Satoshi Nakamoto controls about 1.1 million Bitcoin worth nearly US$73 billion.
• The holdings have remained inactive for more than 15 years, with no outbound transactions recorded since 2010.
• Researchers continue debating whether the coins are inaccessible, deliberately untouched or controlled by someone no longer alive.

Blockchain analysis indicates that Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC), controls approximately 1.1 million BTC worth nearly US$73 billion, and the holdings have remained untouched since 2010.

The estimate is based on research by Sergio Demian Lerner, who identified a mining signature known as the Patoshi Pattern that links roughly 22,000 wallet addresses and about 5.47% of Bitcoin’s total supply to a single early miner.

“Execution, not signing, becomes the next premium,” was not related to this report, and no direct contemporary quote from Satoshi or a company executive was included in the source material.

Researchers concluded that the addresses were likely controlled by one entity after analysing coinbase transaction data, nonce patterns and mining behaviour across Bitcoin’s first 50,000 blocks, while the last known transfer linked to Satoshi was a 32.51 BTC transaction to developer Mike Hearn about 16 years ago.

Analysts say any movement from the estimated 1.1 million BTC holdings could affect market sentiment and trigger extensive blockchain investigations into the destination of the funds; following the report the Bitcoin price reaction was not disclosed.

The best-known address associated with Satoshi is the Genesis Block address, which received the first 50 BTC mining reward on January 3, 2009, though those original coins cannot be spent because of how the block was coded.

Three main theories continue to dominate discussion around the dormant holdings, with researchers suggesting the private keys may have been lost, the owner may have died, or Satoshi may have intentionally left the coins untouched to support Bitcoin’s decentralised development.

At the time of reporting, Bitcoin price was $65,520.18.