Bitcoin’s Aristocracy: Institutions Love It, Even When It Crashes

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Dearest reader, one mustn’t be surprised by Bitcoin’s recent antics-it’s merely a diva with a penchant for drama. Yet, even as it flings itself about the stage of the crypto market, the aristocracy of finance has taken a liking to it, much like one might admire a particularly theatrical opera singer. According to the perspicacious minds at CryptoQuant, the grand salons of institutional investors remain packed with admirers, despite the asset’s latest tantrum. A few well-heeled wallets, it seems, have been quietly accumulating BTC, as if stockpiling champagne for a party that’s yet to arrive.

The 33% Pump in Bitcoin Institutional Demand

Ki Young Ju, the illustrious founder of CryptoQuant, has revealed that the elite custodians of Bitcoin have spent the past year amassing a staggering $53 billion worth of the cryptocurrency. One might call it a “bull market” of greed, or perhaps a “bear market” of restraint-either way, the numbers are as impressive as they are absurd.

These institutional investors, those paragons of fiscal prudence, have been hoarding Bitcoin in wallets holding between 100 and 1,000 BTC. Such behavior, one suspects, is less about rational investment and more about keeping up with the Joneses-or, in this case, the Joneses who’ve already bought 10,000 BTC. It is said that 577,000 BTC has flowed into these coffers over the past year, a figure that Ki Young Ju assures us is “still flowing in,” as if Bitcoin were a particularly expensive spring water.

Institutional demand for Bitcoin remains strong, or so the numbers suggest. After all, what is a number but the most honest of liars?

US custody wallets, those digital treasure chests, typically hold 100-1,000 BTC each. Excluding exchanges and miners, one might glean a rough idea of institutional interest-though one mustn’t confuse correlation with causation, or, heaven forbid, math with poetry.

577K BTC ($53B) added over the past year, and still flowing in. A testament to either genius or madness. You decide.

– Ki Young Ju (@ki_young_ju) January 19, 2026

One cannot help but note that this 33% surge in demand coincides with the arrival of the first spot Bitcoin ETFs. Ah, the ETFs! Those glittering baubles of the financial world, now adorning Bitcoin’s neck like a necklace of diamonds on a peacock. They have raked in millions, with a recent $697 million influx on Jan. 5-proof, if any were needed, that money flows to where it is most welcome, even if the host is currently hosting a crash.

As for Bitcoin’s current price of $90,921.69, a 2.26% dip in the past day, one might say it’s the price of admission to the party. Or perhaps it’s merely a dress rehearsal for the next inevitable collapse.

Strategy and Metaplanet Stays Dogged on Bitcoin Accumulation

Beyond the glittering ETFs, corporations like Metaplanet and Strategy Inc have taken it upon themselves to amass Bitcoin with the fervor of a Victorian collector acquiring rare orchids. Their acquisitions are made without regard to price or performance, as if the market were a black-tie event and they were determined to arrive regardless of the weather.

In Q4 2025, Metaplanet added 4,279 BTC to its collection, a purchase valued at $451 million. At an average price of $105,412 per coin, one might say they’ve invested in Bitcoin with the enthusiasm of someone who’s never owned a single share of anything before. Now holding 35,102 BTC, the Japanese firm is inching closer to its goal of 210,000 BTC by 2027-a target so ambitious it would make a gold digger blush.

Strategy Inc, the self-proclaimed titan of Bitcoin treasuries, holds a staggering 687,410 BTC. Its latest purchase of 13,627 BTC at $91,519 per coin is the financial equivalent of buying a yacht and calling it a “boat.” Other institutions, no doubt, are following suit, as if Bitcoin accumulation were a new religion and they were determined to be the first to build the cathedral.

And so, dear reader, we find ourselves in an age where institutions rush to accumulate Bitcoin with all the urgency of a man in a hat race. Whether this is wisdom or folly remains to be seen-but then again, so does Bitcoin’s future price.

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2026-01-20 15:19