Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP Whales Accumulate as Market Nears Potential Bottom
Large crypto holders are increasing their Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP holdings despite recent market weakness, a sign that some investors may be preparing for a potential market bottom, according to CryptoQuant.
The blockchain analytics firm said large holders are accumulating Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) as prices move toward levels historically linked to the late stages of a bear market.
Rising whale balances during periods of falling prices can reduce the amount of crypto available for trading and increase the share held by large investors, CryptoQuant said in its latest Smart Money report.
Bitcoin whale holdings, excluding exchanges and mining pools, have risen to about 3.06 million BTC from 2.87 million BTC in December 2025. Accumulation picked up after Bitcoin fell below $60,000 in June.
Ethereum wallets holding between 10,000 and 100,000 ETH now hold a record 19.6 million ETH. Wallets with more than 100,000 ETH have added around 1.8 million ETH since mid-2025.
XRP is also showing signs of whale activity. Average spot order sizes remained in CryptoQuant’s “big whale” category while XRP traded between $1 and $1.20. However, the neutral 90-day taker cumulative volume delta suggests whales may be quietly absorbing supply rather than aggressively buying, the report said.
Market valuations point to late-stage bear market
CryptoQuant also highlighted Bitcoin’s realized price, an estimate of the average onchain cost basis, as another possible sign that the market is nearing a bottom.
At the time of the report, Bitcoin traded at around $63,935, above its realized price of about $52,900. Ether traded at $1,858, below its realized price of roughly $2,450, while XRP was around $1.10 compared with a realized price of about $0.75.
“Rising whale balances into price weakness is the clearest smart-money tell,” CryptoQuant said, while warning that the market could still face further downside.
Other analysts have also pointed to signs of a potential bottom. 10x Research said Bitcoin could confirm a bear-market bottom with a monthly close above $63,000. K33 has also noted that Bitcoin has historically reached cycle lows after more than half of its circulating supply was held at a loss.
For now, whale accumulation suggests that larger investors are becoming more active during the market weakness, but it does not guarantee that prices have already reached a bottom.
Featured image from: cointelegraph.com