Kamala Harris shared a small glimpse into her possible stance on crypto during a Wall Street fundraiser. Investors are “spooked” despite outsized Bitcoin performance over the last 12 months, says VanEck, and long-dormant wallets from 2009, likely belonging to early Bitcoin miners, recently moved their funds after years of inactivity.
Kamala Harris finally breaks silence on crypto
Kamala Harris made her first public statement about crypto amid her campaign for the United States presidency — vowing to encourage investment in artificial intelligence and digital assets during a Wall Street fundraiser.
“We will partner together to invest in America’s competitiveness, to invest in America’s future. We will encourage innovative technologies like AI and digital assets while protecting our consumers and investors,” Harris said at a fundraiser in Manhattan, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 22.
Source: Hayden Adams
“We will create a safe business environment with consistent and transparent rules of the road,” Harris said. “We will invest in semiconductors, clean energy and other industries of the future, and we will cut needless bureaucracy.”
It’s the first time Harris has made a public remark about crypto since she became the Democratic Party’s presidential frontrunner. Her Republican rival Donald Trump has also worked to woo the industry.
Bitcoin outperforms nearly every asset over past 12 months
Asset manager VanEck says Bitcoin (BTC) has outperformed nearly every asset class over the past 12 months. According to a report released on Sept. 19, Bitcoin is up 15% by market cap year over year, and spot BTC prices have more than doubled.
Miners’ holdings over time. Source: VanEck
VanEck reported that it remains bullish over the long term, but recent downturns have caused some investors to become “spooked.” The positive notes may not ring true for the entire sector, however, as miners appear to have benefited the least during the past year’s boom.
Bitcoin miner wallets awaken after over 15 years — Is this Satoshi?
Crypto wallets belonging to early Bitcoin (BTC) miners have recently been observed moving their holdings from 2009.
On Sept. 20, five miner wallets that received 50 BTC each as block rewards in 2009 started to move their funds after years of silence.
One of the Bitcoin wallets seen moving mined BTC. Source: Blockchain.com
Given the BTC was mined only weeks after the launch of the Bitcoin blockchain, the wallets likely belonged to people present at its inception. At the time of initial disbursement, Bitcoin had none to little monetary value but eventually reached $1 by 2011.