Whale Games: Altcoin Pause Amid BTC Frenzy

Recent cryptocurrency whale movements from January 15-22, 2026, show some interesting trends. Bitcoin accumulation seems to be the main game, while altcoins have been comparatively quiet as the market shifts. Big investors reduced their BTC holdings by about 220,000 over the last year but kept their remaining supplies inactive. They seem to be turning to long positions in Ethereum, as seen by a large $674M bet. This suggests they are strategically hedging with altcoins instead of just selling them off.

Whales have been keeping an eye on important altcoins like ETH (with one top long position at 203K ETH), as well as SOL, ADA, XRP, and NEAR. Smaller transfers in areas with low trading activity could cause price changes, but there were no individual altcoin deals over $10M. Cryptocurrency exchange inflows went down by over $5B, which reduced selling pressure and helped stabilize altcoin values after Bitcoin tested resistance between $90K and $96K.

In general, whale positions are balanced at $7.18B across long and short positions. This signals market consolidation, with altcoin players ready to jump in if Bitcoin breaks out. Keep an eye out for sudden increases in SOL or XRP, as these could suggest new market momentum.