Bithumb Finds $200M In Crypto Across 2.6M Inactive User Accounts

TLDR

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Bithumb found $201.8M in crypto held in 2.6M dormant accounts.
Some crypto accounts have been inactive for more than 12 years.
One inactive account held crypto worth $2.84 million.
Some dormant assets have surged over 61,000% in value since purchase.

South Korean exchange Bithumb has identified over $200 million in dormant crypto assets across 2.6 million inactive accounts. Some of these balances have remained untouched for more than 12 years, revealing how early crypto investments by retail users continue to sit idle.

Dormant Assets Revealed in Customer Protection Effort

Bithumb, one of South Korea’s leading crypto exchanges, reported finding over $200 million in dormant digital assets across 2.6 million inactive user accounts. The assets have remained untouched for at least one year, with some going unaccessed for over a decade.

The total value of the dormant holdings is estimated at 291.6 billion Korean won, or approximately $201.8 million. Bithumb announced the discovery as part of a user campaign aimed at recovering long-forgotten funds. According to the exchange, the most valuable dormant account holds crypto worth around $2.84 million.

LATEST: ⚡ South Korean exchange Bithumb has identified over $200M in crypto sitting dormant across 2.6M inactive accounts, with some balances untouched for nearly 12 years and posting returns exceeding 61,000%. pic.twitter.com/3u774IkqH9
— CoinMarketCap (@CoinMarketCap) January 1, 2026

Some accounts had not been accessed for as long as 4,380 days, which equals nearly 12 years. This inactivity suggests many users may have invested in crypto during early market cycles but later stopped participating without withdrawing their funds.

Old Assets Show Massive Returns Over Time

Bithumb revealed that some of these long-dormant assets had appreciated by over 61,000%, meaning a 610x return on their original value. This performance exceeds even Bitcoin’s 12-year return, which stands at about 11,338% from January 2014 to January 2026.

Bitcoin traded at approximately $767 on January 1, 2014. As of now, it is valued at around $87,726, showing a 114-fold increase. The gains in dormant altcoins or early token purchases have in some cases outpaced this growth, based on Bithumb’s analysis.

The exchange shared that thousands of users still hold tokens from early market cycles. Many of these investors may have forgotten about their holdings or lost access to their accounts.

Exchange Plans Direct Contact and Recovery Support

Bithumb stated that it plans to contact affected users directly to assist with account recovery and asset claims. A similar campaign during the company’s 11th anniversary in 2022 led to the successful recovery of around $50 million in crypto by 36,000 users.

The company described the ongoing initiative as part of its broader customer protection plan. A spokesperson for Bithumb said, “We are helping users rediscover assets they may not even know they still hold.”

The campaign involves verifying user identity, recovering account access, and securing the funds in active custody for the rightful owners. Bithumb also reminded users to check old accounts and maintain secure access credentials.

Dormant Holdings Could Return to Circulation

The exchange’s data reveals a large pool of crypto that is not currently circulating in the market. Although these assets are held on a centralized platform, they represent latent supply that could re-enter trading if claimed and withdrawn by users.

By raising awareness of the unclaimed balances, Bithumb aims to encourage crypto users to check their old accounts and wallets. Some of these dormant funds may date back to early ICOs or promotional token distributions, which are now worth far more than their original value.

Bithumb did not disclose the full breakdown of the dormant assets by token or type. However, it confirmed that various cryptocurrencies were included in the flagged accounts.