Solana Whale Moves $10.87M to Private Wallet After 1-Year Dormancy

• A long-dormant Solana whale moved 80,000 SOL ($10.87 million) from Binance to a private wallet after one year of inactivity according to Bitget.
• The move is interpreted as a long-term accumulation strategy, suggesting the whale does not plan to sell in the near future as reported by Yellow.
• This activity has generated bullish speculation among Solana community members about a potential market rally according to MEXC.

A Solana whale that had been inactive for 365 days stirred the market by moving 80,000 SOL from Binance to a private wallet. The transaction, identified by on-chain tracker Lookonchain, represents a significant transfer of assets valued at approximately $10.87 million. The movement to a private wallet is seen as a strong indicator of long-term holding intentions, as large holders typically keep assets on exchanges if they plan to sell quickly according to AInvest.

The whale's inactivity for a full year adds weight to the interpretation that the move is deliberate and strategic. The timing of the transaction, amid market volatility and a recent 46% decline in Solana's price over three months, suggests the whale is positioning for a potential future price increase. This pattern aligns with broader whale accumulation trends observed in early 2026, where large wallets have been repeatedly purchasing 10+ SOL.

Community members are closely watching the whale's next move, as the action has sparked discussions around renewed confidence in Solana. Some believe the whale is an old miner or a bold investor placing a significant bet on Solana's future. The transaction also coincides with anticipation of the Alpenglow upgrade, expected to reduce transaction times and enhance the network's performance according to AInvest.

Does This Whale Activity Signal a Market Rally?

Exchange-to-wallet transfers typically signal long-term holding strategies rather than immediate selling. The movement of 80,000 SOL to a private wallet removes potential selling pressure from centralized order books, potentially stabilizing the market. Large holders usually leave assets on exchanges for quick liquidation if they intend to sell in the short term. Therefore, the whale's decision to move the tokens suggests a bullish outlook as Bitget reports.

The Solana community has interpreted this move as a sign of strategic accumulation, particularly during a period of price consolidation. Solana traded at $135.68 as of January 10, down from a $140.42 intraday high to a $135.05 low. The network's 24-hour trading volume declined 24.42% to $3.76 billion, but whale accumulation patterns continue to show resilience according to IG.

What's Next for Solana?

The Alpenglow upgrade is expected to significantly enhance Solana's performance by reducing transaction finality times to within 100-150 milliseconds. This upgrade is seen as a critical step in positioning Solana as a high-performance blockchain capable of supporting complex and high-volume operations according to AInvest. The network's technical improvements are expected to attract more institutional investors and support broader adoption, especially for enterprise-level transactions.

Institutional adoption has been rising, with U.S. spot Solana ETFs drawing significant inflows. Hong Kong has also approved its first spot Solana ETF. Derivatives data shows a long-to-short ratio of 52.55% and $7.5 billion in open interest by January 2026, reflecting bullish positioning according to Yahoo Finance.

However, technical indicators like weakening RSI and MACD, along with clustered liquidity below $120, highlight growing downside risks. If key support levels at $122 and $102 fail, Solana could face further price corrections. Investors are closely monitoring the balance between institutional positioning and bearish technical signals to gauge future price direction according to AInvest.