Bitcoin (BTC) balances on exchanges are still shrinking, according to recent data from blockchain analytics firm Glassnode. This marks the first time in bitcoin’s history that balances on exchanges have shrunk during an epoch.
Contrast with previous Bitcoin epochs
Glassnode’s data shows that the current Bitcoin epoch, a period between two Bitcoin halvings, has seen a 680,000 BTC decrease in exchange balances. This is in stark contrast to the previous epochs, which actually saw increases of 1.02 million BTC and 1.97 million BTC, respectively.
The researchers note that the trend of the bitcoin balance on exchanges has historically followed an exponential growth pattern since the creation of exchanges in 2011, peaking at 3.2 million BTC during the Covid crisis in 2020. However, the crisis seems to have acted as a catalyst for a change in user attitudes towards exchanges, leading to a macro decline in exchange balances.
Across our current Epoch, the #Bitcoin Balance on Exchanges continues to hemorrhage, recording a current decline of -680K BTC.
This place our current Epoch as the first to experience a contraction in Exchange Balance, curbing the prior trend of expansion across cycles.
🔴 Epoch… pic.twitter.com/ER3rwQQ8zV
— glassnode (@glassnode) May 23, 2023
Current balance sheet and investor behavior
Currently, the balance of bitcoin on exchanges stands at 2.3 million BTC, which represents a 28% drop from its peak. This trend suggests a shift in investor behavior, with more investors choosing to hold their BTC in private wallets rather than keeping them on exchanges.
This shift can be attributed to several factors, including heightened awareness and concern about the security risks associated with exchanges, the growth of decentralized finance (DeFi) that allows individuals to earn interest on their BTC holdings outside of traditional exchanges, and the general trend of bitcoin investors wanting to hold on to their BTC for the long haul.
The drop in bitcoin balances on exchanges could have significant implications for the crypto market. Lower balances on exchanges could potentially lead to increased price volatility, as a smaller supply of instantly tradable bitcoin could exacerbate price movements in response to changes in demand.