Recent Ethereum (ETH) whale activity in January 2026 shows a "tug-of-war" between long-dormant holders liquidating massive gains and new institutional players accumulating during market volatility.
Major Whale Transactions (Jan 24–26, 2026)
A whale address that had been inactive since 2017 moved 50,000 ETH ($145 million) to the Gemini exchange on January 25–26. This whale originally withdrew the funds from Bitfinex when ETH was roughly $90, marking a 32-fold increase in value.
A major entity converted 282.1 BTC into 8,098 ETH ($3,251 entry price) via THORChain on January 24, signaling a strategic shift toward Ethereum despite recent price drops.
On-chain data from January 22–24 identified a whale known as "Lightning Counter" opening a massive short position of 11,366 ETH with 14x leverage, though they were initially facing unrealized losses.
An OTC whale (address 0xFB7) purchased 20,013 ETH (approx. $59 million) on January 23, contributing to a trend of steady accumulation through private channels.
Market Sentiment & Trends
While some whales are moving funds to exchanges (often a sell signal), network activity has reached an all-time high in active addresses. Whales added roughly 300,000 ETH to their holdings in late December and early January, even as prices dipped below $3,000.
Entities like Bitmine and Fidelity have been linked to significant transfers, with Bitmine reportedly holding over $10.7 billion in unstaked Ethereum as of late January 2026.
Despite short-term liquidations and volatility, some analysts project ETH could reach $7,000–$9,000 later in 2026 if current accumulation patterns hold.
Real-Time Tracking Tools
Platforms to monitor these movements include:
Whale Alert: For instant notifications of large exchange inflows and outflows.
Arkham Intelligence: To identify specific entities (funds, exchanges, individuals) behind anonymous addresses.
Nansen: For tracking "Smart Money" movements and sector rotations.
CoinGlass Whale Tracker: For real-time monitoring of whale long/short ratios on derivatives.
"Place a trade with us via this post mentioned coin's & do support to reach maximum audience by follow, like, comment, share, repost, more such informative content ahead"
#ETHWhaleMovements #Ethereum #ETH #whale #movement $ETH