Whales Bet on Altcoin Comebacks Amid Market Weakness: Strategic Buys Drive Confidence

In the final week of September 2025, on-chain data revealed significant accumulation of World Liberty Financial (WLFI), Pepe Coin (PEPE), and Polygon’s native token (POL) by large investors, signaling renewed confidence in these altcoins amid broader market weakness. Whale activity, tracked via platforms like Santiment and Nansen, indicated strategic buying patterns that could influence short-term price trajectories.

WLFI, the token associated with the Trump-linked World Liberty Financial project, saw whale addresses holding between 1 million and 10 million tokens increase their holdings by 26.72 million during the week. This followed a 13% price decline over the previous seven days, prompting the project to announce a 100% fee-funded buyback and burn program. The initiative, approved by 99.8% of token holders, allocates all liquidity fees from Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Solana to repurchase and permanently remove WLFI from circulation. Analysts note that the success of this deflationary strategy hinges on sustained fee inflows and market demand, with price targets of $0.2059 (if bullish momentum persists) or $0.1814 (if demand wanes) cited as potential outcomes What Crypto Whales Are Buying For The Last Week Of September^[2]WLFI approves 100% buyback and burn: impact, risks, and data^[3].

PEPE, the Solana-based meme coin, also attracted substantial whale interest. Large investors holding over $1 million in PEPE increased their supply by 1.36%, leveraging a 5% price dip to accumulate tokens. On-chain data highlighted a $3.518 million stablecoin inflow into PEPE on September 13, with whales acquiring 303.19 billion tokens through USDT and USDC transactions . This activity aligns with broader bullish sentiment, with price projections suggesting a potential rise to $0.00000984 if accumulation continues or a decline to $0.00000830 if buying pressure subsides. The token’s resilience compared to other meme coins, such as Dogecoin, was attributed to growing liquidity on major exchanges and community-driven hype .

Polygon’s POL token, down 16% in the past week, saw whale addresses holding 100,000 to 1 million tokens add 220,000 units to their holdings. This accumulation occurred amid broader market weakness, with analysts suggesting whales are positioning for a potential recovery. Price targets of $0.2308 (if bullish momentum holds) or $0.1092 (if selloffs persist) were identified as key levels to watch What Crypto Whales Are Buying For The Last Week Of September^[2]. The lack of major project announcements during this period underscored the role of macroeconomic factors and whale activity in driving POL’s price action.

The coordinated buying patterns highlight a strategic shift in investor behavior. While Bitcoin’s decline below $110,000 and Ethereum’s volatility dampened overall market sentiment, whales focused on altcoins with strong on-chain fundamentals or deflationary mechanisms. WLFI’s governance-driven burn program and PEPE’s meme-driven liquidity gains exemplify this trend. However, risks remain, including liquidity constraints for buyback programs and potential regulatory scrutiny of meme coins. For instance, WLFI’s recent governance controversies, including frozen tokens held by Justin Sun, add uncertainty to its long-term viability WLFI Launches 100% Fee-Funded Buyback and Burn Program^[1].

Market analysts emphasize that the effectiveness of these whale-driven strategies will depend on execution consistency and broader macroeconomic conditions. For WLFI, the transparency of burn transactions and fee collection will be critical to building trust. PEPE’s reliance on social media-driven demand and POL’s exposure to Polygon’s ecosystem upgrades further complicate near-term outlooks. Traders are advised to monitor on-chain metrics, such as whale transaction frequencies and burn address balances, for real-time signals WLFI approves 100% buyback and burn: impact, risks, and data^[3].