Bitcoin Spot ETF BTC Holdings Likely to Surpass Satoshi Nakamoto by Year-End

The U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are approaching an important milestone. They are expected to become the world's largest BTC holders, surpassing the amount held by Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin. Additionally, they are approaching the total net assets of gold ETFs.

Bitcoin ETFs to Surpass Satoshi Nakamoto's BTC Holdings Soon

Since their launch in January, the U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs have grown significantly. According to crypto analyst HODL15Capital, these funds currently hold around 1,081,000 Bitcoins, which is close to Nakamoto's estimated 1.1 million BTC. The anonymous Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto is estimated to own around 5.68% of the total Bitcoin supply. This holding is valued at over $100 billion. If Nakamoto is alive and a single individual, they would be the wealthiest person in the world. However, Bloomberg's senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas pointed out that the ETFs have now reached 98% of surpassing Nakamoto. He predicted that this could happen by Thanksgiving if the current inflow pace continues.

"The U.S. spot ETFs have now reached 98% of surpassing Satoshi, the world's largest holder. Thanksgiving is looking favorable. If the next 3 days are like the last 3, it's a done deal." - Eric Balchunas, Bloomberg senior ETF analyst

According to SoSoValue data, the inflows into these ETFs have increased by around 97% over the past 5 trading days, reaching $3.3 billion, with BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) contributing $2 billion. This surge coincides with the introduction of options trading on these products, which many believe will attract more institutional investors. Meanwhile, Bitcoin ETFs are narrowing the gap with the $120 billion gold ETF. According to Balchunas, Bitcoin ETFs now manage $107 billion and could surpass the gold ETF by Christmas. These positive forecasts reflect Bitcoin's outstanding performance in 2024. The top cryptocurrency has risen nearly 160% since January, trading close to $100,000. Its $1.91 trillion market capitalization now exceeds major companies like silver and Saudi Aramco. However, BTC still lags behind the world's largest asset, gold, whose market capitalization exceeds $18 trillion.