Ethereum’s co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, just made a notable move on-chain. At around 5:08 PM UTC+8, an address linked to Buterin (vitalik.eth) transferred 693.91 ETH, worth around $1.83 million, along with $340,931 USDC, to the privacy protocol Railgun.
The transaction was routed through the wallet address 0x1810c87a85b1d3aff71f3bd7fe45e4dc03eff10e, which seems to have been used as a middle step.
Of the total USDC, $240,931 came from the Moloch Foundation, a group that funds Ethereum ecosystem development. The reason for the transfer hasn’t been explained publicly, but the timing and destination caught attention quickly.
Buterin has spoken about privacy in crypto many times before. He’s called it “normal” and believes people shouldn’t be tracked just for making transactions. Railgun is a protocol he’s mentioned in the past. It lets users send tokens while keeping their financial history private, but also uses certain checks to prevent abuse or bad actors from slipping in unnoticed.
Buterin’s transfer isn’t just talk about privacy; he’s actually using tools that match his beliefs. With regulators going after platforms like Tornado Cash, this feels intentional. It serves as a quiet reminder that privacy still matters, even if it comes with added risks.
After the transfer, people watching the blockchain noticed a few small tokens still left in his wallet, including 888 PEOPLE worth less than $20 and 6.9 PEPECOIN worth just a few dollars.
The crypto community on Twitter has already started discussing it. Some are calling it a strong move for privacy, while others are wondering if this could bring more attention and possibly more heat to protocols like Railgun.
For now, there’s no statement from Buterin, but the blockchain speaks clearly. This wasn’t just a test transaction. It was a big one, and it was intentional.
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