Early Ethereum Investor Awakens After 8 Years

A dormant Ethereum investor has made headlines by transferring a substantial amount of Ethereum, marking their first activity in nearly a decade. 

According to Lookonchain, a blockchain analytics platform, an early participant in the Ethereum initial coin offering (ICO) has moved 238.75 ETH, worth approximately $770,000, to Coinbase. 

This movement comes after the Ethereum price recently surpassed the $3,200 mark. 

The investor initially received these funds at the genesis of Ethereum, purchasing each ETH at around $0.31 during the ICO phase, highlighting the astronomical growth of Ethereum’s value over the years.

Similar occurrences 

This event is part of a larger trend of ancient Ethereum addresses coming back to life after remaining untouched for years. Earlier this month, it was reported that an Ethereum pre-mine address containing 100 ETH had been activated after lying dormant for 8.5 years. 

This phenomenon is not isolated; several other dormant addresses have also reactivated in recent months, moving significant amounts of ETH. Notable reactivations include addresses containing 492 ETH, 133 ETH, and 200 ETH. 

The most significant of these reactivations involved an address with 11,640 ETH reactivated after 8.4 years. 

These awakenings stirred speculation and interest in the motivations behind these movements. The resurgence of activity in dormant Ethereum wallets might be due to a mix of market dynamics, technological updates, personal finance considerations, regulatory changes, and psychological factors like FOMO. All of these factors might drive investors back into the cryptocurrency arena. Beyond the primary motivators, other nuanced reasons could include legacy and estate planning, where individuals decide to move or liquidate digital assets as part of organizing their financial affairs for inheritance purposes.

Current Ethereum price performance 

Ethereum’s price has shown robust performance, with the current price standing at $3,223.33, marking a 3.6% increase. 

The cryptocurrency has experienced a notable fluctuation in price, with a 24-hour range between $3,041.89 and $3,273.65.