There’s a ‘Clearance Sale’ on Bitcoin, but Institutions Aren’t Rushing In

There’s a ‘Clearance Sale’ on Bitcoin, but Institutions Aren’t Rushing In

At the beginning of the year, the dominant narrative permeating cryptocurrency markets was that institutions were going to add large swaths of bitcoin to their assets. Big, established investors from hedge funds to Wall Street mainstays and blue-chip companies would be quick to jump on the bandwagon. 

Now, as bitcoin (BTC) trades close to half of the all-time high of almost $65,000 reached in April, things are starting to look slightly different: Despite what looks like a clearance sale on the cryptocurrency, data shows that institutions have shown a reluctance to take advantage of the bargain, apparently rattled by the same concerns that have pushed prices down. 

Bitcoin “whale” addresses – those holding 1,000 BTC or more – tumbled to about 2,150 in May from almost 2,500 in February, according to the blockchain-analysis firm Coin Metrics. Since then, the number has languished around that lower level.