Cryptocurrencies with Whale Activity Signals in 2025: Identifying Undervalued Assets with Institutional Interest and On-Chain Momentum

In 2025, the cryptocurrency market has become a high-stakes game of cat and mouse between retail investors and institutional players. While retail sentiment often drives short-term volatility, on-chain analytics reveal a subtler narrative: whale activity—the movements of large holders—has emerged as a critical signal for identifying undervalued assets with institutional interest. By dissecting these patterns, investors can uncover opportunities where smart money is quietly positioning for the next bull run.

The Whale Watch: Tools and Trends

Institutional on-chain platforms like Arkham Intelligence and Nansen have democratized access to whale tracking, offering real-time insights into wallet movements, leveraged positions, and transaction flows XRP Whale Accumulation Signals Undervalued Market Potential^[1]. For instance, a $3.57 million USDC deposit into HyperLiquid in September 2025 saw a whale simultaneously open 20x leveraged longs in Bitcoin and Ethereum, signaling bullish conviction Whale Deposits $3.57M USDC, Opens 20x BTC & ETH Longs on HyperLiquid^[2]. These tools also highlight concentration metrics: the top 100 Bitcoin addresses control 28% of the supply, with the top 10 alone holding 6% Crypto Whales Accumulate LINK, CRO, and TON This Week^[4]. Such data underscores the outsized influence of whales in shaping market dynamics.

XRP: A Tale of Two Narratives

XRP has become a case study in conflicting whale signals. On one hand, large holders added 310 million XRP tokens in Q3 2025, pushing their total holdings to 8.11 billion XRP—a sign of institutional confidence in its cross-border and DeFi utility XRP Whale Accumulation Signals Undervalued Market Potential^[1]. This accumulation is amplified by technical upgrades, including the XRP Ledger's EVM-compatible sidechain, which enabled 1,400 Ethereum-style smart contracts in its first week XRP Whale Accumulation Signals Undervalued Market Potential^[1]. Futures funding rates of 0.07% and CME futures volume exceeding $1 billion further reinforce bullish sentiment XRP Whale Accumulation Signals Undervalued Market Potential^[1].

Yet, Santiment data reveals a bearish counterpoint: whale wallets reduced their XRP supply share from 13.12% to 11.88% since July 2025, while daily active addresses plummeted by 54% to 23,000 XRP On-Chain Data Reveals Critical Warning Signs^[3]. Futures open interest also dropped from $10.94 billion to $7.56 billion, suggesting de-risking behavior XRP On-Chain Data Reveals Critical Warning Signs^[3]. This duality highlights XRP's precarious position: a project with strong fundamentals but waning retail adoption.

Undervalued Altcoins: Whales on the Hunt

Beyond XRP, several low-cap altcoins have attracted whale attention during market dips:
- World Liberty Financial (WLFI): Whales added 26.72 million tokens as the price fell 13%, signaling belief in its recovery potential XRP Whale Accumulation Signals Undervalued Market Potential^[1].
- PEPE (Solana-based meme coin): Supply held by investors with over $1 million in PEPE increased by 1.36%, indicating strategic accumulation XRP Whale Accumulation Signals Undervalued Market Potential^[1].
- Polygon Ecosystem Token (POL): Large wallets added 220,000 tokens during a 16% price decline, hinting at a rebound bet XRP Whale Accumulation Signals Undervalued Market Potential^[1].

These moves align with broader trends: whales are targeting assets with strong utility but undervalued metrics. For example, Chainlink (LINK) saw 2.5 million tokens ($61 million) added by large holders, while Cronos (CRO) and Toncoin (TON) experienced 29% and 5% accumulation spikes, respectively Crypto Whales Accumulate LINK, CRO, and TON This Week^[4].

The Contrarian Play: De-Risking vs. Accumulation

Not all whale activity is bullish. In late September 2025, whales moved tokens like Euler (EUL) and COTI to cold storage, reducing exchange reserves to multi-year lows Crypto Whales Accumulate LINK, CRO, and TON This Week^[4]. This behavior, often seen ahead of market bottoms, suggests anticipation of a broader recovery. Meanwhile, projects like Dawgz AI ($DAGZ)—with AI-driven innovation and deflationary tokenomics—have drawn early-stage whale interest, positioning them as breakout candidates Crypto Whales Accumulate LINK, CRO, and TON This Week^[4].

The Bottom Line: Navigating the Whale Game

Whale activity in 2025 paints a nuanced picture. While projects like XRP and LINK show institutional confidence, others like WLFI and PEPE reflect opportunistic accumulation during dips. Investors must weigh these signals against broader market conditions: for example, XRP's technical upgrades offset bearish on-chain metrics, while low-cap altcoins like POL and EUL offer high-risk, high-reward scenarios.

As the year progresses, the key will be monitoring whale behavior in real time. Platforms like Arkham and Nansen provide the tools to do so, but the ultimate test lies in discerning between noise and signal. In a market where whales can move prices with a single transaction, staying ahead of their moves isn't just an advantage—it's a necessity.