Public bitcoin miners sell 28,000 BTC worth $1.78B in 2026, adding steady pressure to the market

Publicly listed bitcoin miners have stepped up coin sales this year, adding a steady source of supply to an already soft market. CoinDesk cited Blockware Intelligence data showing these miners held about 127,000 BTC at the start of 2026. That figure has fallen to roughly 99,000 BTC, implying around 28,000 BTC sold year to date—about $1.78 billion at current prices. While the volume is smaller than the more than $4.4 billion of net outflows seen from U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs, analysts say persistent, incremental selling can weigh more than many investors expect when price trends are down and spot demand is thin. Bitcoin is down 27% since the start of 2026, lagging major assets including the S&P 500. Mining economics have also tightened, with average production cost estimated near $74,300 per BTC, pushing more operators to prioritize AI computing infrastructure. On the network side, mining difficulty has dropped about 18% from its November peak, lifting mining rewards for remaining miners by roughly 18% and altering competitive dynamics across the sector.