Bithumb Identifies Over $200 Million in Dormant Customer Crypto Across 2.6 Million Accounts

South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb has disclosed that more than $200 million in customer assets are dormant across roughly 2.6 million accounts, revealing the scale of inactive retail capital held on a major centralized platform.

The disclosure was made as part of Bithumb's dormant asset recovery campaign, an initiative aimed at users who have not logged in or traded for more than one year. The exchange reported dormant assets totaling approximately 291.6 billion Korean won, equivalent to about $201.8 million.

Bithumb said some balances have been left untouched for extended periods, with the longest recorded inactivity stretching 4,380 days, or nearly a dozen years. The largest single dormant holding the exchange identified was valued at about $2.84 million.

Some of the inactive assets have appreciated substantially since they were acquired. Bithumb noted that select dormant holdings have posted returns exceeding 61,000%—roughly 610 times their original value—reflecting positions taken during the market's earliest cycles.

The exchange highlighted that certain unclaimed holdings have outperformed Bitcoin over a 12-year period. Citing CoinGecko data, Bithumb pointed to Bitcoin's price at around $767 on Jan. 1, 2014, and to a level of approximately $87,726 at the time of the report—an increase of about 11,338%, or a 114-fold rise.

Bithumb framed the recovery campaign as part of a broader customer-protection effort. The exchange said it will notify eligible customers directly and offer assistance to help them recover access to their accounts and reclaim forgotten assets.

The campaign is not a first for the exchange. In a previous drive tied to its 11th-anniversary outreach, Bithumb reported that 36,000 users reclaimed dormant assets totaling roughly $50 million. The latest disclosure suggests that a substantially larger pool of dormant holdings remains on the platform.

Beyond the immediate task of reconnecting customers with their funds, the presence of large dormant balances on exchanges carries wider market implications. Dormant assets represent unrealized liquidity and latent supply that could re-enter markets if holders become active again.

That potential re-entry of capital raises questions for market participants and regulators about volatility, order-book depth and the dynamics of supply. It also underscores operational challenges for centralized platforms in locating and communicating with long-inactive customers.

Bithumb's disclosure touches on broader themes in the cryptocurrency adoption cycle. Millions of retail users engaged with crypto during earlier bull runs and later disengaged, leaving assets stranded as attention shifted. The exchange's recovery exercise aims to address some of the practical consequences of that cycle by helping users rediscover and reclaim holdings they may no longer realize they control.

Key figures reported by Bithumb include:

• Number of inactive accounts identified: about 2.6 million
• Total value of dormant assets: roughly 291.6 billion Korean won (about $201.8 million)
• Largest dormant holding identified: about $2.84 million
• Longest period of inactivity recorded: 4,380 days (nearly 12 years)
• Some inactive assets’ gains: more than 61,000% (approximately 610x)

The exchange said it will reach out to affected account holders and provide support for account recovery. The initiative highlights both the potential value locked in dormant accounts and the operational responsibilities of custodial platforms to safeguard and attempt to return forgotten customer assets.

Key Topics

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