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Bitcoin Whales Are Gobbling Up BTC Again—Is This the Calm Before the Bull Run?

Bitcoin Whales Are Gobbling Up BTC Again—Is This the Calm Before the Bull Run?

Author:
Bitcoinist
Published:
2026-01-26 14:30:49
14
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While retail investors watch charts and sweat over dips, Bitcoin's biggest holders are quietly loading up. This isn't panic buying—it's strategic accumulation. The smart money is positioning itself, and the message is clear: they're betting on what comes next.

The Whale Watch Is On

Forget the day-traders. The real signal comes from the wallets holding thousands of coins. When these entities start accumulating in size, it's rarely a coincidence. They're not reacting to headlines; they're anticipating them. Their moves often precede major market shifts, making their current activity impossible to ignore.

A Brewing Rebound?

History doesn't repeat, but it often rhymes. Past periods of sustained whale accumulation have frequently laid the groundwork for powerful price rallies. It's a classic playbook: accumulate during fear or indifference, then profit during the euphoric FOMO phase that retail traders so generously provide—the ultimate transfer of wealth from the impatient to the patient.

This time, the accumulation feels different. It's steadier, less frantic. That suggests conviction, not just speculation. While Wall Street debates ETFs and macro trends, the crypto-native giants are simply stacking sats, displaying a faith in Bitcoin's fundamentals that no quarterly report can shake.

So, is a rebound brewing? The whales seem to think so. They're putting their capital where their conviction is, playing a long game that most finance bros—with their bonus-driven, short-term horizons—simply can't comprehend. Sometimes, the best trade is to just follow the money, especially when it's moving quietly into the oldest and most resilient asset in crypto.

Bitcoin’s Largest Wallets Show Conviction

Bitcoin’s price may have been struggling with heightened volatility as a result of the broader market bearish market action, but bullish sentiment remains present among investors. In the weakening condition, large BTC whales or deep-pocket investors’ sentiment turns positive and are steadily reentering the market.

Data from Santiment, a popular market intelligence and on-chain data platform, suggests that these major investors are building positions at an encouraging and steady pace, even though the broader momentum is demonstrating weakening conditions. In the past, long-term whale accumulation has typically happened in uncertain times when prices don’t accurately reflect underlying confidence.

Santiment noted that the buying activity is spotted among wallet addresses holding over 1,000 BTC. After months of consistent buying, the group has now collectively acquired about 104,340 BTC, which represents a more than 1.5% rise. 

Bitcoin

As a result of the recent purchase, the investors’ overall holdings are currently sitting at 7.17 million BTC, marking their largest level since September 15, 2025. These wealthy investors are subtly consuming available supplies rather than distributing into recent market swings, indicating confidence in Bitcoin’s medium- to long-term potential. 

While buying pressure is growing among large bitcoin holders, the number of whale transactions has also experienced a massive upswing. Santiment added that the amount of +$1 million daily transfers has exploded, reaching a 2-month high level.

A Continued Drop In BTC Open Interest

A continued drop in Bitcoin’s Open Interest is coinciding with the ongoing drop in price. Darkfost, a market expert and CryptoQuant author, highlighted that open interest is steadily declining, which does not support the emergence of a new trend as seen on the weekly change basis.

Since November, the metric has remained broadly negative, suggesting that the drop has continued for several weeks. Although there was a brief improvement earlier this month, it was followed by a price reaction. 

Overall, when open interest rises, Darkfost stated that it mostly signals trend continuation to even a trend reversal, triggered by an influx of long positions. Furthermore, this is confirmed with funding rates, but this is what happens in most cases.

On Sunday, as BTC displays a steady correction, deleveraging also increased. While this is bearish in the short term, these phases simultaneously aid in cleaning the market of excessive leverage. Thus, it is critical to remember that futures are still the primary source of volume, making keeping an eye on developments there an essential move.

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