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.


Bitcoin Dips Below $90K on Minor ETF Outflow – Bearish Signals Dominate, But Buy-the-Dip Setup Targets $100K
Reuters/Ipsos Poll Shows Divided U.S. Opinion on Military Strike in Venezuela
FxWirePro- Major Crypto levels and bias summary
Ethereum Dips to $3108 Despite Strong $340M ETF Inflows – Neutral Signals Flash, Buy-the-Dip Targets $3600
ETHUSD Defies ETF Outflows: Holds Above $3000, Bulls Eye $3200 Breakout
FxWirePro- Major Crypto levels and bias summary 



