Bitcoin’s anonymous founder, Satoshi Nakamoto, has watched his holdings shrink by $20 billion in only ten days. The recent decline is part of a larger downward trend in the cryptocurrency market, which drove Bitcoin down to $103,856 on Friday.
Still, Satoshi remains one of the richest people worldwide, ranking above Alice Walton and Michael Bloomberg in wealth standings, according to Arkham Intelligence.
Nakamoto still has Bitcoin worth over $117 billion
Data from Arkham Intelligence shows that Nakamoto holds more than 1 million Bitcoin, currently worth around $117.5 billion. When Bitcoin soared to an all-time high above $126,000 in the first week of October, his portfolio had ballooned to roughly $136 billion.
Although analysts have pointed out that, unlike other preloaded Bitcoin wallets which have seen activity, addresses related to Satoshi’s mining operation remain completely dormant. The coins have never been moved, leading many to speculate that the private keys are lost or that Satoshi himself may no longer be living.
Bitcoin’s steep drop has been tied to the escalating geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing. Markets tumbled after President Trump announced 100% tariffs on Chinese imports, from tech products to rare earth minerals, sparking a flight from risk assets, including cryptocurrencies.
As earlier reported by Cryptopolitan, the market crash resulted in $20 billion in liquidations in under one day, the largest in crypto’s history. In the aftermath, prices of coins plunged, and some altcoins lost more than 99% of their value. Still, Bitcoin held firm at $100,000 range.
Between October 10 and 11, data from Coinglass shows that over $19.3 billion in leveraged positions were wiped out, representing the biggest liquidation event in crypto history. Longs made up $711.24 million of the total liquidations, while shorts accounted for $308.30 million.
Analysts said the downturn deepened due to light weekend trading and panic selling by retail investors. Fear spread quickly on social media, prompting rushed exits, though some traders seized the moment to take profits and trim risk, helping prices stabilize afterward.
So far, analysts from The Kobeissi Letter have explained that the October 8 market crash is merely a short-term pullback and not indicative of deeper structural issues. They posted: “We believe this crash was due to the combination of multiple sudden technical factors. It does NOT have long-term fundamental implications. A technical correction was overdue, we think a trade deal will be reached, and crypto remains strong.”
Arkham data indicates that one trader earned $192 million
Large holders did take advantage of the market swings. Arkham data shows one such trader pocketed $192 million from short positions ahead of the collapse. The whale has allegedly re-entered the market with a fresh $163 million short position on the DeFi platform Hyperliquid.
The $209 million leveraged short, according to on-chain analysis, highlights sustained bearish positioning by whales. However, experts warned that risky positions like these could drive market swings in the near term amid expectations of continued volatility.
A Polymarket bet on Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, saw a plunge to 6% after a sudden rise on Oct. 15. The bet “Will Satoshi move any Bitcoin in 2025?” spiked 15% for a while before tumbling down. This sudden rise and fall incident led some traders to lose their positions.
According to Polymarket data, one trader by the username 1897sadhjns444dpoasdp speculated over $13,000 on “Yes” at an average price of 10 cents a share. They saw their current value drop by nearly 46%, experiencing a deficit of $11,057.
Similarly, a different user, arfdgsdfq, who bet the same at 11 cents per share, saw their position dive down over 52%, resulting in a loss of $16,583 in a single month.
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