Bitcoin anniversary brings renewed attention to Proof of Keys Day

The commemorative push is anchored to the precise start of the network. On January 3, 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto mined Block 0 and embedded a line from the Times of London’s front page – “The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks” – as a timestamp and historical marker. German outlet Blocktrainer places the block header time at 19:15:05 CET (13:15:05 EST).

Proof of Keys Day, launched by early advocate Trace Mayer on January 3, 2019, is a user-driven “audit” of custodial solvency and a practical exercise in self-sovereignty. Participants typically move small test sums first, then larger balances, to personal wallets – reinforcing the maxim that only key holders truly control their coins.

The 2026 edition arrives amid structural shifts in Bitcoin’s custody landscape. Research by Glassnode with Gemini estimates that more than 30% of circulating supply is now held by 216 centralized entities – including ETFs, exchanges, custodians and corporate treasuries – highlighting the growing weight of institutional storage even as hot-wallet balances visible on exchanges trend lower.

External gauges of exchange holdings support the picture of tighter liquid float. In December 2025, on-chain tallies showed exchange-controlled BTC near a five-year low, following multi-billion-dollar net withdrawals through the year – conditions that can amplify intraday volatility when flows bunch around calendar events like the January 3 self-custody drill.

Industry education teams frame the day as operational hygiene: confirm seed backups, rehearse restore procedures, and verify small outbound transactions before sweeping balances – steps that reduce reliance on third-party infrastructure during stress. Wallet vendors and knowledge bases continue to describe Proof of Keys as a recurring reminder to align personal practices with Bitcoin’s original design for bearer-style ownership.

The Genesis Block and its embedded headline have long served as a datestamp for Bitcoin’s origins and as context for the project’s launch during a period of bank rescues and market turmoil. The chain’s first block, unlike subsequent ones, lacks a previous-block reference and remains a symbolic anchor for the network’s history and community observances on January 3.