https://phys.org/news/2018-06-bitcoin-whales-cryptocurrency.html

Some 1,000 bitcoin holders—out of a total 11 million—hold some 35.4 percent of currency, according to BitInfoCharts.

These bitcoin "whales"—a word popularly used for big money players in financial markets—"literally control the currency", said Bob McDowall, an expert in cryptocurrencies.