The recent movement of 80,000 Bitcoin (BTC) from eight dormant wallets has sent shockwaves through the cryptocurrency space. Each wallet contained 10,000 BTC and sparked speculation about potential threats from quantum computing. However, experts say that the coins were moved to new SegWit addresses as a security upgrade.
SegWit addresses are considered more secure against quantum threats than older P2PK or reused P2PKH addresses. The old addresses use pay-to-public-key (P2PK) or reused P2PK hash (P2PKH), which are more vulnerable. The 80,000 BTC moved from P2PK addresses to SegWit addresses enhance security and protect the network.
Bitcoin developers have proposed a Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) to address potential threats from quantum computing. The proposal aims to freeze and phase out wallets vulnerable to quantum attacks, which could compromise around 25% of Bitcoin’s supply.
The movement has also raised speculation about who is behind the transfer. Some believe it may be Roger Ver, known as “Bitcoin Jesus,” who was arrested in Spain on US tax evasion charges in April 2024. However, no evidence has been found yet to support this theory.
In a separate incident, four OP-RETURN messages were added to the Bitcoin blockchain between July 1 and July 4, 2025. These messages contained a “legal notice” claiming possession of the wallet and its contents, sparking speculation about a potential hack or scam. However, experts say it’s more likely a planned spam campaign.
The movement of 80,000 BTC is significant, with each transaction marking the largest Bitcoin transaction ever. The previous record for the biggest single transaction was 3,700 BTC.
Source: https://cointelegraph.com/explained/quantum-threat-to-bitcoin-80-000-btc-just-moved-after-14-years