Bitcoin Whales Step Up Buying as Market Stays Below $100K
Rising whale activity suggests strategic accumulation in bitcoin as prices remain under $100,000. Over the past week, the number of entities holding at least 1,000 BTC increased to 1,436, reversing a 2025 trend of long-term holders steadily selling.
For perspective, this group peaked above 1,500 entities in November 2024 amid the post-election rally following Donald Trump’s victory, then declined to roughly 1,300 by October 2025. Historically, increases in large-holder entities have often preceded price rallies. In January 2024, ahead of the U.S. ETF launch, the number of 1,000+ BTC holders rose from 1,380 to 1,512, with bitcoin topping $70,000 a few months later.
Glassnode’s Accumulation Trend Score, which measures buying activity across wallet cohorts while excluding exchanges and miners, confirms the shift. A score near 1 indicates accumulation; near 0 signals distribution.
Whales holding more than 10,000 BTC are no longer heavy sellers, with a neutral score around 0.5. Entities with 1,000–10,000 BTC show modest accumulation. Meanwhile, the strongest buying comes from holders with 100–1,000 BTC and wallets under 1 BTC, pointing to growing conviction across market participants that bitcoin is undervalued at current levels.
Overall, the data indicates that both large and small investors are actively accumulating, potentially laying the groundwork for a market rebound despite recent weakness
