Core Insights - South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb has identified over $200 million in dormant customer assets across approximately 2.6 million inactive accounts [1][3][8] Group 1: Dormant Asset Recovery Campaign - The discovery is part of a dormant asset recovery initiative targeting users who have not logged in or traded for over a year [3] - Inactive balances amount to about 291.6 billion Korean won, equivalent to roughly $201.8 million, with some accounts inactive for more than a decade [3][4] - Bithumb plans to notify eligible customers directly and assist with account recovery as part of its customer protection efforts [7] Group 2: Historical Context and Asset Performance - The largest dormant balance identified was approximately $2.84 million, with the longest inactivity period reaching 4,380 days, nearly 12 years [4][8] - Many dormant accounts were abandoned as market conditions changed, and some users may have underestimated the value of their holdings, which appreciated significantly over time [5] - Certain dormant assets recorded gains exceeding 61,000%, illustrating how early investments in crypto can yield substantial returns over long periods of inactivity [5][6] Group 3: Comparison with Bitcoin - The returns on some forgotten assets on Bithumb outperformed Bitcoin, which saw a gain of about 11,300% from around $767 in early 2014 to recent prices near $87,700 [6] - This comparison highlights the potential for extreme results from early exposure to cryptocurrency combined with long-term inactivity [6]

Group 1: Dormant Asset Recovery Campaign - Bithumb is launching its third annual dormant asset recovery campaign, with unclaimed cryptocurrency holdings decreasing to 291.6 billion won ($201 million), a 34% drop from last year's 443.5 billion won ($306 million) [1] - The campaign targets 2.57 million accounts that have shown no login or trading activity for at least one year, with the largest single dormant holding at 4.1 billion won ($2.8 million) [2] - The longest unclaimed account has remained untouched for 4,380 days, indicating that some of Bithumb's earliest users have not checked their holdings since the exchange's founding in 2013 [3] Group 2: Market Position and User Statistics - Bithumb remains South Korea's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange, with 2.42 million monthly active users (MAU), significantly trailing Upbit's 4.53 million MAU [4] - The gap between Bithumb and the third-largest exchange, Coinone, is more than fourfold, highlighting Bithumb's strong market position [4] - Bithumb's 24-hour trading volume is $383 million, approximately 45% of Upbit's $844 million, reflecting its competitive standing in the market [5]