Bitcoin Surges as Whales Accumulate, Institutional Interest Grows

Crypto FrenzyWednesday, May 21, 2025 8:12 pm ET
3min read

's latest price was $, in the last 24 hours. The cryptocurrency market has seen significant developments recently, with large investors and institutional players making strategic moves that underscore growing confidence in the asset class. A notable whale has added 1500 BTC to their holdings, following a week-long accumulation of 6111 BTC. This move highlights the increasing interest and trust among major investors in the cryptocurrency space. Meanwhile, another prominent whale, James Wynn, has reduced his position by 3688 BTC in the past hour and a half, bringing his position down to a substantial amount. This reduction comes after Wynn closed 2139 BTC in the last 15 minutes, indicating a strategic move to take profits and manage risk. Wynn's 40x BTC long leveraged position has seen a significant increase of $19.83 million, highlighting the potential for substantial gains in the market.

Analyst Austin King from Omni Network has highlighted three structural tailwinds driving the recent surge in Bitcoin demand. The first is the record-setting demand from U.S. spot ETFs, which is absorbing supply faster than miners can create it. This is evident in the inflows to BlackRock’s IBIT and total ETF inflows topping $3B in May alone. The second tailwind is the shifting stance of policymakers, with the Senate’s bipartisan GENIUS stablecoin bill and Texas’ move toward a state-level Strategic Bitcoin Reserve widening the regulatory aperture and giving institutions the confidence to allocate. The third tailwind is the renewed bid for inflation hedges, pulling in large allocators like Blackstone and everyday investors seeking protection against sticky price pressures.

Julio Moreno, head of research for CryptoQuant, has provided evidence of the intense demand for Bitcoin, noting that prices reached a fresh all-time high amid the ongoing growth in spot Bitcoin demand by U.S. investors. This is evident in the positive Coinbase Bitcoin price premium. Moreno also highlighted that the total balance of large Bitcoin investors/holders (whales) has climbed to 3.57 million Bitcoin, approaching the record high of 3.75 million reached in February 2021. This indicates growing demand from large investors, who are increasingly viewing Bitcoin as a credible part of the global financial system.

Ben Kurland, CEO at crypto research platform DYOR, has weighed in on the increasing involvement of institutional investors in the space. He noted that Bitcoin has weathered more than a decade of volatility, regulation, and skepticism, and emerged stronger each time. The narrative is shifting from speculation to staying power, and this shift is exactly what’s fueling the recent breakout. Kurland emphasized that hitting a new all-time high, especially in the wake of decoupling from traditional markets, shows Bitcoin has earned its place as a credible part of the global financial system.

Glassnode has shared a chart showing that Bitcoin Realized Capitalization has surpassed $900 billion and is nearing $1 trillion. This metric, which tracks the value of all Bitcoins at the price they were last moved, is widely viewed as a more nuanced indicator of market strength than traditional market cap. The overall market capitalization of Bitcoin has surpassed $2.1 trillion, positioning it as the sixth-largest asset globally by market cap. This is rather mind-blowing when you realize that the cryptocurrency is ahead of companies like Alphabet and Berkshire Hathaway. The rise in Realized Cap also reflects a shift in investor behavior as short-term holders are gaining big profits, with a peak of $747 million per day and a cumulative $11.4 billion over the past 30 days.

Recent events have contributed to Bitcoin’s bullish sentiment, such as BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, purchasing over $3.1 billion worth of Bitcoin this month. The US Senate advancing a bill aimed at regulating stablecoins and the Texas House passing a proposal to establish a state reserve of Bitcoin have also boosted market sentiment. Jamie Dimon, a long-time critic of Bitcoin, has reversed his stance by allowing JPMorgan clients to buy the cryptocurrency. This marks a significant win for the Bitcoin community and aligns with growing institutional interest in the cryptocurrency. Banks like Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs have already made substantial investments in the digital asset.

After the Texas Senate approved the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SB21) bill earlier in March 2025, the House passed it with a final vote of 101 to 42. Texas is now the third state in the country to pass an SBR bill in both the Senate and the House after New Hampshire and Arizona. The SB21 bill in Texas has to be vetted again by the Senate after the House amendment changed some statutory provisions regarding the market cap of crypto assets. Notably, the Texas House changed the market cap average of $500 billion from 12 months to 24 months. Dennis Porter, the CEO and co-founder of Satoshi Action Fund, has stated that there is a 99+ percent chance that the Texas Senate will approve the amendment to SB21. The bill will soon be forwarded to the State Governor, Greg Abbott, who will have 20 days to either sign or veto the bill.

If the Texas Governor signs the SB21 bill into law, the overall impact on the Bitcoin market will be immense in the coming months and years. The adoption of Bitcoin by U.S. states will solidify it as a reliable digital gold amid economic turmoil. Already, Bitcoin has enjoyed significant bullish sentiment fueled by rising demand from institutional investors and retail traders. The recent developments highlight Bitcoin’s increasing integration and suggest that we will see more and more investments in the future.