South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb flagged over $200 million in customer assets dormant across 2.6 million accounts, offering a glimpse into how much retail capital remains untouched on centralized platforms.
The disclosure came as part of the exchange’s dormant asset recovery campaign, which targets users who have not logged in or traded for over a year. According to Bithumb, dormant assets total about 291.6 billion Korean won (about $201.8 million), with some balances left inactive for over a decade.
Bithumb said the largest dormant holding it had identified was worth about $2.84 million. Meanwhile, the longest period of inactivity stretched to 4,380 days, or almost a dozen years.
The figure highlights a phenomenon in crypto adoption where millions of retail users entered the market during earlier bull cycles but later disengaged, leaving assets behind as attention shifted.
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Bithumb said some inactive assets posted 61,000% gains
According to Bithumb, some of the inactive assets had already posted returns exceeding 61,000% or 610x their original assets. This reflects holdings acquired in the earliest cycles of crypto.
That means that some of the unclaimed crypto in the exchange have outperformed Bitcoin (BTC) in 12-year gains.
CoinGecko data showed that BTC traded at around $767 on Jan. 1, 2014, roughly 12 years ago. At the time of writing, BTC traded at $87,726, an increase of about 11,338%, or a 114-fold rise.
All-time price chart for Bitcoin. Source: CoinGecko
The exchange has run similar recovery efforts in previous years. In its 11th anniversary campaign last year, the exchange said 36,000 users claimed dormant assets worth about $50 million.
The exchange framed the campaign as part of its broader customer-protection efforts, saying it aims to help users rediscover and reclaim assets they may no longer be aware that they hold. The exchange plans to notify eligible customers directly and provide assistance on account recovery.
Beyond individuals, the disclosure carries wider implications for the sector. Dormant balances represent unrealized liquidity and latent supply that could re-enter markets.
It also raises questions about how crypto exchanges communicate with inactive customers and safeguard long-forgotten funds.
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