In recent days, the entire cryptocurrency market has begun to stabilize after the sharp corrections of last week, in line with the expected market trends for this time of year.
Looking back at past bull markets, bitcoin typically reaches new highs after Christmas. History doesn't repeat itself simply, but it is always strikingly similar.
Increasing holdings in BTC and ETH at this stage carries little risk, even if trapped by a downturn it would be around 10%, while there could be 50% to 100% upside potential.
Returning to today's topic, if bitcoin rises to $150,000 or $200,000, who will benefit the most? Of course, it will be those who hold the largest amounts.
The holdings can be found from publicly available data.
2.7% is held by global governments, and among the total amount of bitcoins held by governments, the combined share of China and the United States exceeds 75%.
China holds 190,000 bitcoins, ranking second, with a value of approximately $20 billion. As for how they obtained them, those who understand know.
As for how many are in anonymous addresses, it is currently unknown, but when it is truly made public, ordinary people will have no chance. Key point: buying bitcoins at any time in the village is not illegal.
The United States, the largest holder of bitcoins in the world.
The U.S. government holds about 210,000 bitcoins, valued at approximately $22 billion. These bitcoins were mainly obtained through law enforcement actions.
For example, the FBI seized a large number of bitcoins while cracking down on the 'Silk Road' black market. In addition, the U.S. occasionally auctions these digital assets to fill fiscal needs or for other purposes.
Its large holdings not only demonstrate the importance of cryptocurrency in law enforcement but also reflect the government's prudent management of digital currency assets.
3.9% is held by ETF funds - which have now become the digital gold that Wall Street financial giants like BlackRock and Fidelity are vying for.
As of November 30, 2024, global bitcoin ETF tracking shows that 45 funds hold a record 1,266,862 bitcoins, valued at $123 billion.
3.6% is held by companies, the most representative being MicroStrategy. As of December 22, 2024, the company and its subsidiaries held approximately 444,262 bitcoins, with a total purchase price of about $27.7 billion, at an average price of about $62,257.
Looking at the data, it seems the biggest beneficiaries are from the United States, but this overlooks that bitcoin is the most decentralized asset, with 57% of individual investors being the largest holding group of bitcoin.
If you cannot understand, think about who the largest holders of real estate are. They are not companies or institutions but individuals, early participants.
You may not participate actively, but your wealth will inevitably be passively diluted, just like real estate; not buying a house does not affect the rise in housing prices. Wealth storage requires a medium, and the different mediums have different operating speeds.
Looking at the price changes of bitcoin during past Christmases, we can see the speed of bitcoin as a value storage medium.
2013 - $666
2014 - $323
2015 - $455
2016 - $899
2017 - $13926
2018 - $4079
2019 - $7323
2020 - $23736
2021 - $50822
2022 - $16822
2023 - $43665
2024 - $99487
It can be seen that, from a broader trend, the price of bitcoin is showing a rapidly rising and stable state.
Just because you don't count some accounts doesn't mean they didn't happen.
If ten years ago, in 2013, you had $1 million deposited in the bank, how much would it be now? How much would a house cost now? How much would bitcoins bought then be worth now?