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Dormant Ethereum Genesis Wallet Springs to Life, Shifting ETH to Coinbase

Published 21 September 2023

Key Takeaways

  • An almost eight-year-inactive Ethereum ICO participant has sent 32.1 ETH to Coinbase.
  • Whales in Ethereum sold out their shares. Price impact remained negligible.
  • Grayscale applied for another ETF, maintaining the strong level of institutional interest in Ethereum.

After being dormant for eight years, an inactive Ethereum ICO participant deposited 32.1 ETH to Coinbase wallet.

This specific Ethereum address was a part of Ethereum Genesis and was initially been given 200 ETH. It looks to be connected to shemnon.eth (@shemnon).

The unexpected action has sparked attention and speculations among cryptocurrency enthusiasts, especially in light of Ethereum’s notable value growth since its launch.

Recent Signs Of Early ETH Whales Migrating

After years of inactivity, a number of Ethereum addresses related to the platform’s initial coin offering (ICO) have recently displayed activity.

Just recently, a major Ethereum whale transferred nearly $10M worth of ETH to Kraken while in July, an Ethereum ICO participant resumed activity after an eight-year break by depositing a sizable 61,216 ETH, or around $116 million, into the Kraken cryptocurrency market.

Another long-inactive wallet transferred 641 ETH and started staking in a second incident that coincided with Ethereum’s ninth birthday, amounting to a transaction value of almost $1.19 million.

Such transactions are notable not only for their quantity, but also for the large gains that these early Ethereum supporters have experienced.

Early adopters have seen exponential growth in their investments considering that the price of Ethereum during its initial coin offering (ICO) was around $0.31 per ETH and that it currently trades for around $1,623.

Potential Justifications For the Actions

There are concerns regarding the motivations behind these transfers due to the unexpected migration of substantial quantities of Ethereum from wallets that have been dormant for years.

Some have theorised that the original holders may be collecting profits or diversifying their assets in light of Ethereum’s spectacular price increase over the years.

Others could think that these changes are a result of Ethereum staking, which is becoming more and more popular and enables holders to receive incentives for helping to protect the network.

Effects on ETH

The price of ETH, which was trading at $1,630 at the time of writing, nevertheless remained largely constant despite these significant changes.

This steadiness demonstrated the altcoin’s adaptability as a market that took these sizable transactions in stride without seeing appreciable price changes.

ETH price movement
Credit: CoinMarketCap

However, these behaviours by ICO participants may cause FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) among bitcoin enthusiasts. Concerns about market manipulation or negative sentiment might arise when investors carry on large transactions on exchanges.

Institutional Enthusiasm Remains High

It’s interesting to see that institutional interest in Ethereum has not decreased. A well-known cryptocurrency investing company called Grayscale recently applied for a new Ethereum futures exchange-traded fund (ETF).

Grayscale had previously filed a registration for the same investment vehicle under different regulatory legislation; therefore, this action startled many in the cryptocurrency community.

The company’s latest filing under the Securities Act of 1933 could be viewed as a backup plan in the event that the SEC rejects its initial proposal for an ETH futures ETF.

If no regulatory authorities object, the initial ETF proposal should go live in October. Grayscale has shown significant belief in the long-term potential of cryptocurrency, despite short-term market changes, by taking the initiative to develop an Ethereum-focused ETF.

Teuta Franjkovic

Teuta is a seasoned writer and editor with more than 15 years of experience. She has expertise in covering macroeconomics and technology as well as the cryptocurrency and blockchain industries. She has worked for several publications as a journalist and editor, including Forbes, Bloomberg, CoinTelegraph, Coin Rivet, CoinSpeaker, VRWorld and Arcane Bear.

Teuta began her professional career in 2005, working as a lifestyle writer at Cosmopolitan in Croatia. From there, she branched out to several other publications, covering mainly business and the economy. She then turned her attention to the world of cryptocurrency and blockchain, believing that crypto is among the most important inventions in the history of humanity. Her involvement in fintech began in 2014 and she has since lent her expertise in writing, editing and gathering information about the world of crypto, blockchain, NFTs and Web3.

An all-round news hound, mentor, editor, and writer, Teuta enjoys teamwork and good communication. She holds a WSET2 diploma and has a thing for chablis, punkrock music and shoes. She also holds a double MA in Political science and Entrepreneurship.

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