How exclusive is the “Own a Whole Bitcoin” club?
Bitcoin’s price has largely remained above $100,000 for over two months, highlighting the value of owning at least one whole Bitcoin.
There are approximately 20 million Bitcoins in circulation, and data reveals that just under 1 million blockchain wallet addresses hold one full Bitcoin. While this number seems substantial, it’s important to consider that many large holders, such as cryptocurrency exchanges, distribute their holdings across multiple wallets. This suggests that the actual number of individual owners of at least one Bitcoin is closer to 800,000.
Bitcoin’s scarcity and value
The number of Bitcoins in circulation is growing, but the pace is slowing due to the “halving” process, which reduces the reward for mining Bitcoins every four years until all 21 million possible Bitcoins are mined.
Of the millions of wallet addresses, over 54.6 million own fractions of a Bitcoin. However, companies and large-scale holders often use multiple wallets, which means that the estimated number of individuals owning a full Bitcoin is closer to 800,000 to 850,000.
The largest known corporate holder is Strategy Inc. (formerly MicroStrategy), with 628,791 Bitcoins. Blockchain data also reveals that the largest amount of Bitcoin in a single wallet is 248,598, controlled by the Binance exchange.
Bitcoin’s price surge
Bitcoin first surpassed $100,000 in December 2024 and has largely remained above that level since May, reaching a record high of just over $123,000 on 14th of July. With the cryptocurrency trading between $114,000 and $119,000 recently, the asset’s market capitalization stands at around $2.3 trillion. Strategy’s Bitcoin holdings are valued at approximately $72 billion.
Companies like GameStop and Marathon Holdings have followed Strategy’s lead in establishing Bitcoin treasuries.
The future of Bitcoin
Bitcoin’s price has surged as it gains acceptance as a more mainstream currency. Experts believe that the second half of this year will be crucial for Bitcoin adoption as a reserve asset, with more firms investing in crypto.
The bottom line
Owning a whole Bitcoin has become an exclusive club of fewer than 1 million wallet addresses worldwide. The exact number of individual Bitcoin holders is estimated to be closer to 800,000 due to institutional wallets being spread across multiple addresses. With companies like Strategy and other emerging Bitcoin treasury firms continuing to buy up the digital asset, this number is unlikely to grow significantly.
