A dormant Ethereum wallet that participated in the network's 2015 ICO has suddenly sprung to life after more than 11 years, transferring its entire holding of 2,680 ETH — worth approximately $5.04 million — to new addresses. The wallet, identified by the prefix 0xB749, originally received the tokens during the Ethereum genesis block when the total value was a mere $831 ($0.31 per ETH).
The reactivation was first spotted by on-chain analytics service Onchain Lens on March 4, 2025, when the wallet executed a tiny test transaction of 0.001 ETH. Subsequently, the full 2,680 ETH was moved, marking an 6,068x return on investment for the early participant. This two-step process — a dust transfer followed by a bulk move — is typical for owners re-establishing control of legacy cold wallets before a potential sale, staking, or reconsolidation of funds.
While the transfer itself does not confirm an immediate sell-off, it has raised eyebrows among traders. The crypto market is currently digesting mixed momentum across major assets, and a sudden appearance of this magnitude — especially from a genesis address — can stoke speculation about liquidity impacts and influence sentiment. Ethereum’s price hovered near $1,884 at the time of the transfer, and market participants are monitoring whether further large-scale movements follow, potentially increasing volatility in the derivatives market.
Such reactivations underscore both the extraordinary long-term appreciation of Ethereum and the vigilance of blockchain analysts. Early wallets like 0xB749 serve as a reminder that dormant holdings can resurface at any moment, although the immediate threat to price stability is often overestimated when only a single whale moves.
