An unknown wallet address has been accumulating massive amounts of Wrapped Bitcoin amid ongoing controversy concerning the token’s ownership structure.
In an Aug. 19 post to X, blockchain analytics service Lookonchain said an unknown whale address had snapped up a little more than 347 Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) — worth $16 million at current prices — in the last 12 hours.
Source: Lookonchain
It adds to the wallet’s growing WBTC stash over the last week, which has now accumulated a total of 1,953 WBTC ($118 million) at an average price of $58,853.
The outsized WBTC purchases come amid ongoing controversy concerning the ownership structure of the Wrapped Bitcoin token.
On Aug. 9, BitGo — the team behind Wrapped Bitcoin — announced plans to transfer control over WBTC to a joint venture consisting of itself, Hong Kong-based investment manager BiT Global, and Sun’s Tron ecosystem.
On Aug. 10, crypto risk management firm Block Analitica (BA) published a proposal on MakerDAO’s governance forum requesting the protocol to close all new WBTC debts and prevent new borrowing against WBTC collateral.
Related: BitGo CEO argues WBTC security is unchanged amid concerns
On Aug. 16, MakerDAO approved and executed the proposal, prohibiting the borrowing of WBTC on the Sparklend platform.
Lending giant Aave is also reportedly gearing up to propose an alternative to borrowing and lending WBTC, proposing the supply of an alternative wrapped Bitcoin token, Threshold Network’s TBTC, instead.
Following Bitgo’s controversial move, US crypto exchange Coinbase teased the possible launch of a new product called “cbBTC,” something many crypto pundits speculated was the exchange moving to launch its own wrapped Bitcoin token.
Rena Shah, the chief operating officer of Bitcoin software firm Trust Machines told Cointelegraph that the new token could bolster the adoption of bitcoin-native DeFi.
“The opportunity for cbBTC, based solely on current Coinbase users, is a massive onboarding opportunity for Bitcoin DeFi,” said Shah.
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