Bitcoin edges at $100K while retail investors still hold the reins

Bitcoin trades at $99,340.23, approaching the $100K mark as retail investors retain market dominance.

What is more interesting about this rally is the dominance of retail investors, who currently account for 88.07% of all Bitcoin (BTC) in circulation, according to The Block. Contrary to the recent claims that institutional investors are leaving retail investors behind in ownership of BTCs, the asset is still in the hands of retail investors, which underlines their stronghold in the market. This grassroots stronghold contrasts the much smaller shares held by whales at 1.26% and institutional investors at 10.68%.

You might also like: Not XRP or Solana, this new crypto is being tipped for the biggest gains in 2025

A heat map showing whales, investors and retail investors of Bitcoin. | Source: crypto.news

1/ Just as we expected, the market launched with a beautiful “volatility smile” quickly established by 945AM and for the rest of the day. In fact, the smile got even wider throughout the day, finishing with higher wings by EoD. pic.twitter.com/BHI09pORS4

— Jeff Park (@dgt10011) November 20, 2024

Jeff Park comment on BTC ETF

Bitcoin Breakdown:

How BTC ownership is distributed supports the overall trend of asset availability in the market. Companies such as Coinbase have substantial quantities of BTC, holding more than 2.25 million BTC. However, most of this is kept for their clients. Satoshi Nakamoto‘s wallet, which contains 96,8452 BTC, remains untouched as it played a role in creating the Genesis block.

Overall, funds and ETFs account for 1.09 million BTC, or about 5.2%, while governments such as the U.S. and China collectively hold around 2.5%.

You might also like: Truemarkets raises over $4M through NFT sale as Vitalik Buterin buys 400 NFTs

Despite BTC witnessing price surges, the market is far from stable and often shows extreme volatility. For instance, on Nov. 21, the price of BTC dipped to $95,756.24, with trading volume reaching $98.40 billion. This volatility then reflects the vital role that retail investors play during price hikes, even as institutional investors become more active in the market.

Some argue that BTC is becoming more centralized, but the data does not back this claim. Financial products like ETFs are attractive to institutions, but they also make BTC more accessible to retail investors. BTC continues to align with Satoshi Nakamoto’s vision of a decentralized and democratized financial system. As BTC nears the $100,000 threshold, its open-and-shut conversation that BTC’s ownership remains essential.

Read more: Trump media trademarks crypto payment service ‘TruthFi’

Source