Company Bithumb Finds Over $200M in Dormant Crypto Across 2.6M Accounts

Company Bithumb has disclosed a major discovery: more than $200 million in dormant cryptocurrency balances sitting idle across roughly 2.6 million inactive accounts. The revelation comes as part of a targeted dormant asset recovery campaign aimed at users who have not logged in or traded for more than a year, according to Company Finance Feeds. The size and age of these holdings draw a clear line from crypto's early retail-driven years to the present market where long-term inactivity can result in outsized returns.

The exchange reported inactive balances totaling about 291.6 billion Korean won (roughly $201.8 million). Among the flagged accounts, one single wallet held approximately $2.84 million after nearly 12 years of dormancy — a span of 4,380 days that underscores how early adopters who stepped away from the market years ago may now hold unexpectedly valuable positions. In some cases, dormant holdings recorded gains exceeding 61,000%, illustrating how very early-stage purchases combined with prolonged inactivity have amplified returns to extraordinary levels.

This phenomenon is not purely anecdotal. As highlighted by Mr. SpecterAnalyst on social media, a related wallet moved nearly 93,947 BTC in 2017–2018 from a mix of centralized exchanges and mixing services, then remained dormant for several years. Those patterns show that forgotten or abandoned accounts can contain concentrated and heterogeneous sources of funds — including transfers from multiple exchanges — which later crystallize into huge nominal values as markets appreciate.

Company Bithumb's current recovery campaign is larger in scale than previous efforts. The exchange's earlier anniversary initiative helped roughly 36,000 users reclaim around $50 million in dormant assets. This time, the platform says it will notify eligible customers directly and assist with account recovery, framing the program as part of its customer protection and stewardship responsibilities. Readers should note the exchange itself is an active market participant and that dormant balances represent a form of latent supply that could re-enter circulation in future market cycles — a factor that analysts and traders should monitor when assessing supply-side dynamics.

Beyond recovery mechanics, the disclosure has market implications. Dormant assets that suddenly reawaken can alter liquidity profiles and create episodic selling pressure or reallocation events that affect price discovery. Historically, coins held from early cycles have sometimes outperformed benchmark assets; the report notes several forgotten holdings on Company Bithumb outperformed Bitcoin over comparable timeframes — a reminder that the combination of early entry and status as an unattended position can produce outsized multi-year returns.

The update arrives alongside broader security and custody conversations in South Korea. For context, Company Upbit moved to place nearly all customer assets into cold storage after a hack of approximately $30 million from a Solana hot wallet. Operator Company Dunamu said the platform will increase its cold wallet ratio toward 99%, far above local legal minimums. Authorities have opened investigations that have included early intelligence linking the breach to the Lazarus Group.

For market participants and observers, the takeaway is twofold: first, dormant balances represent both a recovered asset opportunity for users and a potential future supply shock for markets; second, exchanges are doubling down on recovery and custody programs that may shape user trust and systemic resilience. Company Bithumb's disclosures also serve as a reminder to long-ago investors to re-check accounts that may now be significantly valuable.