Who are the “crypto whales”?
It is a term used to refer to individuals or entities that own large amounts of digital currencies, especially Bitcoin. The influence of these whales on the market is great due to the ability to move prices through large buying or selling operations. Some of the most notable crypto whales include:
1. **Satoshi Nakamoto**:
- The person or group that invented Bitcoin. It is estimated that Satoshi owns around 1 million Bitcoins, which have not been moved since they were mined in the early days of Bitcoin.
2. **Cryptocurrency exchanges**:
- Many major exchanges such as Binance and Coinbase hold large amounts of digital currencies on behalf of their users.
3. **Investment companies and institutions**:
Companies such as Grayscale Investments and MicroStrategy have purchased large amounts of Bitcoin as part of their investment strategies. For example, MicroStrategy owns hundreds of thousands of bitcoins.
4. **Initial investors**:
- People who invested in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in their early stages. Among these investors, there are some notable names such as the Winklevoss twins (Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss), who own large amounts of Bitcoin.
Whales have a huge influence on the market due to the size of their holdings.