XPL Token Accumulation and Profit Potential in a Bull Market

Written byJeremy Dwyer
Sunday, Sep 28, 2025 8:51 am ET2min read
Aime RobotAime Summary

- XPL token's 2025 bull case driven by whale and institutional accumulation, with $102.6M in strategic buys from major wallets.

- Plasma's $2B TVL boost and EVM compatibility attract Peter Thiel, Bitfinex, while Aave/Ethena partnerships expand stablecoin use cases.

- U.S. GENIUS Act provides regulatory clarity, but 25% token unlock in 2026 poses downward pressure risks if adoption lags.

- Price volatility exposes DEX liquidity risks ($2.5M+ losses reported), prompting calls for position limits and arbitrage monitoring.

- Analysts project $2.00-$10.50 price range by 2028, balancing bullish fundamentals against manipulation risks and supply-side challenges.

The

, the native asset of the blockchain, has emerged as a focal point of institutional and whale-driven market activity in late 2025. Recent on-chain data and expert analysis suggest that strategic accumulation by large-scale investors is shaping a bullish narrative for , even as risks like liquidity volatility and token supply dynamics remain critical considerations.

Whale Activity as a Bullish Signal

Institutional whale activity has been a defining feature of XPL's price action. A single whale, identified as Techno Revenant, executed a $31.1 million long position on Hyperliquid, pushing XPL's price to $0.69 and creating a 20–30% premium on the platform compared to other markets, according to a

. Another whale wallet (0xd80D) allocated $71.5 million in , with $30 million already deployed to acquire nearly 13 million XPL tokens, according to an . These coordinated moves indicate a strategic effort to accumulate XPL ahead of its official token launch, leveraging Hyperliquid's isolated oracle system to amplify price momentum.

The impact of such activity is evident in XPL's volatility. For instance, a separate whale deposited $7.49 million in USDC and initiated leveraged long positions, signaling intent to escalate exposure within 21–23 hours, according to

. While these actions have driven significant price surges, they have also exposed vulnerabilities in decentralized exchanges (DEXs), including thin liquidity and slippage risks. A notable example is a whale's $2.5 million loss due to liquidity constraints, as described in a .

Institutional Backing and Ecosystem Growth

Beyond whale activity, XPL's bull case is bolstered by institutional infrastructure and partnerships. Plasma's mainnet beta launch in September 2025 injected over $2 billion in stablecoin Total Value Locked (TVL) into its ecosystem, supported by pre-launch campaigns that saw a $1 billion deposit cap reached in 30 minutes, according to a

. Institutional investors, including Bitfinex and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, have positioned XPL as a sidechain with EVM compatibility, enabling zero-fee stablecoin transfers and cross-chain liquidity, as explained in a .

Partnerships with DeFi protocols like

and further enhance XPL's utility, with analysts projecting expanded stablecoin use cases to drive demand, according to a . However, supply-side risks loom large: 25% of XPL's 10 billion token supply (allocated to the team and investors) begins unlocking in July 2026, potentially creating downward pressure unless offset by robust adoption, as noted in a .

Regulatory and Technical Tailwinds

The U.S. GENIUS Act, passed in July 2025, has provided legal clarity for stablecoin networks like Plasma, reducing regulatory uncertainty for institutional participants, according to CoinMarketCap. Additionally, XPL's integration of EIP-1559 fee burns is seen as a deflationary mechanism to counterbalance inflation, adding strategic appeal for long-term holders, as noted by Phemex.

Technical indicators also support a bullish outlook. XPL's price has surged 52% post-mainnet launch, with spot pairs opening on Binance and perpetual futures contracts attracting early arbitrage opportunities, as reported by

. Analysts at CoinMarketCap project a price range of $2.00–$10.50 by 2028, contingent on sustained institutional inflows and ecosystem growth (CoinMarketCap).

Risks and Mitigation Strategies

Despite the bullish signals, XPL's market remains susceptible to manipulation. Hyperliquid's response to the August 2025 pump event—introducing a 10x hard cap on mark prices and integrating external market data—has inadvertently created new arbitrage opportunities, as analyzed in an

. Retail traders, in particular, face risks from short-squeeze strategies and liquidity crunches, as seen in the $60 million in trader losses during the XPL surge, as .

To mitigate these risks, experts recommend enhanced governance measures, including position limits and circuit breakers, to stabilize DEX environments, as suggested in an OKX guide (https://www.okx.com/learn/xpl-wlfi-token-market-volatility). For investors, diversifying exposure across centralized and decentralized platforms while monitoring whale activity through on-chain analytics tools could help navigate volatility.

Conclusion

XPL's trajectory in 2025 reflects a complex interplay of institutional accumulation, technological innovation, and regulatory tailwinds. While whale-driven price surges and ecosystem partnerships present compelling upside potential, liquidity risks and token supply dynamics necessitate caution. For those willing to navigate the volatility, XPL's strategic positioning in the stablecoin and DeFi space offers a high-conviction opportunity in a maturing bull market.