Dormant darknet marketplace wallet with $400M BTC becomes active after 9 years

From Cointelegraph
March 07, 2025 04:33:45 PM:

A dormant crypto wallet holding $400 million in Bitcoin linked to darknet marketplace Nucleus has been active after nine years. The wallet moved $77.5 million in BTC, leaving $365 million untouched. Nucleus was a darknet marketplace for illegal goods, and its shutdown in 2016 led to the wallet remaining dormant until now.

The awakening of dormant crypto wallets coincides with Bitcoin’s price surge in 2023, reaching an all-time high of $108,000. Dormant wallets from the 2010s, like Nucleus, have been coming to life, with one 11-year dormant wallet moving 1,037 BTC. Other wallets from the Satoshi era have also awakened, moving millions of dollars worth of BTC.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino warns of potential risks from quantum computing, suggesting hackers could break into early Bitcoin wallets. This could lead to more “lost” coins resurfacing, impacting the crypto market. The reawakening of dormant wallets poses a fascinating development as the crypto industry continues to evolve.

Read more at Cointelegraph: Darknet marketplace wallet with over $400M BTC awakens after 9 years