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Bitcoin and Ethereum Whales Dump $581M in 24 Hours—Here’s What They’re Really Doing

Bitcoin and Ethereum Whales Dump $581M in 24 Hours—Here’s What They’re Really Doing

Published:
2025-12-17 18:05:00
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Whale wallets just moved half a billion dollars off exchanges in a single day. That's not panic selling—it's strategic repositioning.

Behind the Big Moves

When Bitcoin and Ethereum's largest holders move that much capital, they're not reacting to headlines. They're executing pre-planned strategies. The $581 million exit signals a classic whale maneuver: liquidating a portion of positions to secure profits or rebalance portfolios before the next major market phase. It's the crypto equivalent of taking chips off the table while the game's still hot.

Timing the Tides

Major holders don't dump indiscriminately. They sell into strength—when liquidity is high and panic is low. This move suggests whales see enough market depth to absorb their sales without crashing prices. It's a calculated withdrawal, not a retreat. They're likely rotating into stablecoins, waiting for clearer signals, or preparing to deploy capital into newer narratives once this wave of profit-taking settles.

The Contrarian Signal

Paradoxically, large-scale distributions often precede consolidation periods before the next leg up. Whales take profits when others are still buying—a classic sign of a maturing bull market. Their exit provides the liquidity and volatility that shorter-term traders thrive on, while setting the stage for their next accumulation phase. It's the market's ruthless recycling mechanism in action.

Remember: in traditional finance, they call this 'smart money.' In crypto, we just watch the blockchain and connect the dots ourselves—no expensive Bloomberg terminal required.

So watch where that $581 million flows next. That's the real signal.

Bitcoin and crypto symbolism are shown by a glowing coin on a desk before a screen with rising market charts and a city skyline at sunset.

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In brief

  • US spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs recorded $581M in net outflows, deepening bearish sentiment after a volatile weekly market slide.
  • Bitcoin fell below $90K, and Ethereum slipped under $3K as whale selling and liquidations pressured the broader crypto market.
  • On-chain data shows large holders rotating capital into Minotaurus, a maze-based Web3 gaming memecoin with reward incentives.
  • MTAUR’s low entry price and pre-launch bonuses fuel speculation of outsized returns, drawing interest from risk-tolerant investors.

US Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs Sell $581M Worth of Assets

According to market data, holders withdrew approximately $357.6 million from spot BTC ETFs on Monday. As expected, this significant outflow further eroded an already weakening market momentum.

Fidelity’s FBTC topped the outflow chart, with holders withdrawing $230.13 million worth of Bitcoin from the asset manager. Bitwise’s BITB came second with contribution losses totaling $44.3 million, while Ark Invest’s ARKB ranked third with $34.5 million in withdrawals.

Grayscale’s GBTC and VanECK’s HODL shed $27.5 million and $21.25 million, respectively, while other contribution instruments recorded zero net flows.

Similar to Bitcoin, Ether ETF vehicles also saw notable capital exits totaling $224.7 million, according to SoSoValue. Among the funds, BlackRock’s ETHA recorded the highest outflows at $139.1 million. At a distant second, Grayscale’s ETHE saw withdrawals of $35.1 million, followed by Grayscale’s ETH with $20.2 million in outflows.

Smaller exits were also recorded across Bitwise’s ETHW, Fidelity’s FETH, and VanECK’s ETHV, while others maintained a quiet market outing. With the market already weak, the session further reinforced bearish sentiment.

At the time of writing, bitcoin is exchanging at $87,068 after breaking below its $90,000 support level. Ether is hovering just under $3,000 following a late-Monday breakdown.

Whales Increasingly Accumulating This 1,000% Coin

While blue-chip assets like BTC and Ether await a bullish reversal, whales appear to be pivoting toward a new memecoin, Minotaurus (MTAUR). At its core, Minotaurus is built around a maze-based game that features customizable avatars, time-limited events, and unlockable areas.

Market commentators have pointed to MTAUR’s potential for outsized returns as a major driver of its increased demand in recent weeks. Given this underlying growth potential, some in the crypto community have dubbed Minotaurus the “1,000% coin.”

MTAUR’s value proposition also lies in its suite of unique offerings, such as vesting incentives and referral bonuses. With this reward-based model, Minotaurus departs from the hype-driven fundamentals that characterize most memecoin projects. 

Early participants can also take part in a 100,000 USDT giveaway, with winners receiving up to 50,000 USDT.

Experts note that this blend of blockchain innovation and Web3 gaming technology positions MTAUR as one of the most promising market plays in the current cycle.

Can Just 100 USDT Create Life-Changing Riches?

Some analysts have highlighted MTAUR’s sub-zero price as another feature that could appeal to smart money holders. Each token is priced at 0.00012605 USDT in its current pre-launch stage, meaning a 100 USDT contribution WOULD yield approximately 805,217 MTAUR tokens.

Possible projections

If we use this initial contribution as an example, knowing the listing price of the MTAUR token will be 0.0002 USDT, the original 805,217 tokens would lead to a 60 USDT gain.

Once launched, a bullish movement leading to a price of 0.02 USDT, a trajectory often seen with gaming tokens, would turn the initial 100 USDT into 16,104.

If we go even further, supposing MTAUR were to replicate XRP’s 75,000% rise from its all-time low, a 100 USDT contribution could potentially grow to 75,000 USDT. More so, a 1,000 USDT or 10,000 USDT MTAUR portfolio could skyrocket to life-changing figures, assuming the asset reaches even a fraction of Bitcoin’s all-time high value.

With the token’s value expected to increase as the project progresses, early entry may offer the greatest upside. Holders looking to position themselves for strategic market opportunities can join the Minotaurus project now.

For more information, please visit the official website. And as always, don’t forget to DYOR!

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