Ethereum News Today: Institutional Whales Stockpile 4 Altcoins Amid Regulatory Clarity and ETF Hopes

The cryptocurrency market experienced a significant downturn in late October 2025, with altcoins losing up to 80% of their value during a sharp sell-off. Amid the volatility, institutional investors, or "whales," strategically accumulated four key altcoins-XRP, Ethereum (ETH), Chainlink (LINK), and Uniswap (UNI)-highlighting their confidence in these assets despite broader market uncertainty. This activity underscores a shift in market dynamics, where large holders are positioning for potential rebounds or structural gains.

XRP, the native token of Ripple Labs, saw aggressive whale activity during the crash. On-chain data revealed that whales purchased over 1.04 billion XRP tokens (worth $2.54 billion) via over-the-counter (OTC) transactions, bypassing exchanges to avoid price pressure. This accumulation followed a $63 million transfer to Binance, which coincided with selling pressure near the $2.66 resistance level, according to a CoinDesk report. Analysts attributed the buying to growing optimism around the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) settlement with Ripple in August 2025, which cleared XRP of securities classification, as noted in a TS2.Tech analysis. Additionally, anticipation of spot XRP ETF approvals—expected in October—fueled institutional interest, with Markets.FinancialContent forecasts suggesting potential inflows of $4–$8 billion if approved.

Ethereum whales demonstrated similar strategic behavior, transferring tens of thousands of ETH to private wallets during the crash. For instance, CoinPedia reported a single whale moved 374,333 UNI tokens ($2.3 million) and 1,735 MKR tokens ($2.06 million) in 18 hours, while another withdrew 500,000 AUCTION tokens ($13.9 million) over three days. These moves signaled long-term holding intentions, supported by Ethereum's record-breaking on-chain activity, including $143 billion in transaction volume in August. Despite a 13.7% drop to $3,700 in October, ETH's whale inflows contrasted with retail panic selling, suggesting confidence in the token's resilience.

Chainlink (LINK) attracted substantial whale interest as large holders accumulated 760 million tokens (valued at $13–$16 million) during the downturn. This activity offset temporary selling pressure from the unlocking of 18.75 million LINK tokens, CoinPedia noted. On-chain analytics highlighted a 22% increase in whale holdings of wallets with over 100,000 LINK, reinforcing the token's role in decentralized oracle infrastructure. Analysts noted that such accumulation could stabilize LINK's price, particularly as its network activity hit 2025 highs, with nearly 10,000 active wallets, according to InvestX.

Uniswap (UNI) whales made smaller but impactful purchases, acquiring 660,000 tokens ($4 million) during its 33% monthly decline. These buys helped the token rebound 12% within 24 hours, despite exchanges reducing their UNI reserves from 655 million to 645 million tokens. Technical indicators, such as a bullish RSI divergence, suggested a potential rebound toward $13.50 if UNI broke above $10.20. Whale activity was further supported by Uniswap's layer 2 network, which processed $12.54 billion in August, highlighting its growing utility.

The coordinated accumulation of these four altcoins by whales reflects a broader trend of institutional confidence in specific use cases and regulatory developments. For XRP and ETH, the focus on ETF approvals and SEC clarity aligns with historical patterns where regulatory milestones preceded price rallies. In DeFi, whales appear to be capitalizing on dips in LINK and UNI, leveraging their strategic positions to absorb liquidity and stabilize prices. However, short-term risks persist, including potential profit-taking by whales and macroeconomic headwinds.

The coming months will be critical, with XRP ETF decisions and Ethereum's validator withdrawals (over $10 billion in ETH awaiting exit) likely to influence market sentiment. While whales have demonstrated resilience, retail investors are advised to monitor technical levels and regulatory updates to navigate the volatile landscape.