Crypto Whales Load Up on Altcoins: Chainlink, Lido DAO, and DeFi Bets Signal 2026 Rally

Crypto whales intensified accumulation in select altcoins during early January 2026, extending late-2025 patterns amid market dips and positioning for anticipated upside. Leading the charge was Chainlink (LINK), where whale holdings surged 57.79% over the prior 30 days, adding approximately 680,000 LINK valued at $8.5 million despite a 7.5% price decline. Recent transactions included multiple wallets scooping up 1.567 million LINK worth around $19.8 million, underscoring strong conviction in oracle infrastructure.

Lido DAO (LDO) saw notable whale activity with a 30.34% balance increase in the last week alone, incorporating 4.07 million LDO tokens (~$2.28 million). Highlighting this trend was prominent trader Arthur Hayes, who acquired 1.85 million LDO (~$1.03 million). AAVE whales also added roughly 20,600 tokens (~$3.1 million), with public figures boosting holdings by 13.55% (~$5 million), reflecting growing interest in DeFi lending protocols.

Other activity included Cardano (ADA), where wallets holding 100 million to 1 billion tokens accumulated 100 million ADA (~$36 million) since late December 2025. This contrarian buying amid year-end de-risking by some smart money highlights whale bets on key sectors like oracles (LINK), liquid staking (LDO), and broader DeFi, potentially foreshadowing rallies as market conditions improve in 2026.