Bitcoin wallets holding 10,000+ BTC hit 90, a six-month high, per Santiment

The count of bitcoin addresses holding at least 10,000 BTC has climbed to 90 — the highest in six months — according to on-chain analytics firm Santiment, whose data CoinDesk reported on Tuesday. Santiment puts the increase at six wallets over the past eight weeks, or 7.1%.

The firm pairs that with a second figure: since July 29, wallets holding between 10 and 10,000 BTC have added roughly $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin, while "micro" wallets have shrunk steadily through August. Santiment reads the two together as a supply rotation from small holders to large ones.

Santiment attributes the retail drawdown to two events: the Coldcard hardware-wallet exploit, which it says drained about $120 million in bitcoin, and the U.S. Senate's postponement of the Clarity Act — the market-structure bill — to September.

Bitcoin's price appears twice in CoinDesk's report and doesn't match: a ticker quote of $64,079.70 and body text placing it "near $63,800." Both are intraday snapshots; the gap is small but it is there.

Key facts

• Wallets holding ≥10,000 BTC: 90, a six-month high; up six (7.1%) in eight weeks — Santiment, via CoinDesk (Aug 11, 2026).
• Wallets holding 10–10,000 BTC added ~$1.5bn in BTC since July 29 — Santiment, via CoinDesk.
• Coldcard exploit losses: ~$120m in bitcoin — Santiment's figure, via CoinDesk; no vendor or primary confirmation cited.
• Clarity Act: Senate action pushed to September — CoinDesk.
• BTC price: $64,079.70 (ticker) / ~$63,800 (body) — CoinDesk.

The real-world read

Every number here traces to one vendor. Santiment sells on-chain analytics; a narrative in which the smart money is quietly accumulating is a good advertisement for on-chain analytics. That doesn't make the counts wrong — it does mean there is no independent corroboration on offer.

Wallets are not investors. Exchange cold storage, ETF custodians and omnibus custody accounts all sit in the 10,000+ BTC bucket, so the count can rise on internal custody reshuffling with no one buying anything. CoinDesk doesn't say whether Santiment excludes such entities, and that is the single most important methodological question about the headline figure.

The 10–10,000 BTC band spans roughly $640,000 to $640 million per wallet — calling that cohort "whales and sharks" flattens an enormous range. And the $1.5bn is dollar-denominated over a window in which the price itself moved.

The Coldcard and Clarity Act links are Santiment's interpretation, not a demonstrated cause. Nothing in the report ties specific outflows to either event.

Conspicuously absent: any base rate. "Historically has preceded major price moves" arrives with no sample size, no hit rate, and no count of the times concentration rose and price fell.

Opinion, and whose

Santiment's analysts say the rotation "tilts the odds" toward a break above $70,000 rather than a drop below $60,000. That is the firm's probabilistic view, not an observed fact, and no timeframe or confidence figure was given. CoinDesk's own framing is more guarded, noting it remains unclear whether this is an early recovery or a pause.

Sources

• CoinDesk (Tier 2, Aug 11, 2026) — "Bitcoin's 'strongest hands' are back, on-chain data show." Sole report; supplied all wallet counts, the $1.5bn accumulation figure, the Coldcard and Clarity Act context, and both price quotes. CoinDesk cites Santiment throughout.
• Santiment (originating data provider, accessed via CoinDesk) — commercial on-chain analytics firm; source of every figure and of the directional forecast. Not independently verified here.

No sponsored or commissioned material was used.

Not financial advice.