Crypto whale purchases for potential gains in 2026

#Cryptocurrencies

Crypto whales have started to take significant initiatives as December approaches, and their activity reveals where they anticipate a forthcoming strengthening. Rather than selling in the face of late November volatility, large holders have increased their exposure through a mix of mid and large-cap assets.

These purchases also took place as the price stabilized, making accumulation more significant.

Ethena (ENA)

Ethena (ENA) stands out as one of the clearest favorites for crypto whale purchases for potential gains in December. The token has increased by 21.3% over the past seven days and, instead of taking profits, large holders are buying even more.

Whale wallets increased their holdings in ENA by 2.84% this week, bringing their total to approximately 39.88 million ENA. This means that whales have acquired about 1.1 million additional tokens.

The top 100 addresses or mega-whales have also increased their balances by about 0.35%, adding nearly 50 million ENA. Whale buying during an already strong week generally indicates confidence in ongoing bullish potential.

#ENA: Nansen

On the 12-hour chart, Ethena is still moving within a symmetrical triangle, indicating a face-off between buyers and sellers. The crucial level is $0.28. A net daily close above this level — which has rejected all rally attempts since November 25 — could trigger movements towards $0.30 and even $0.32.

ENA Price Analysis: TradingView

If ENA fails to hold $0.27, it risks slipping below the lower limit of the triangle, opening the way for a return to $0.21, especially if whale demand cools.

#XRP

XRP is the second asset that crypto whales are currently buying, likely for potential gains in December. The accumulation model is much stronger for this asset than that observed with Ethena. Two major groups of whales have been particularly active during the last week of November.

The largest holders — wallets containing more than 1 billion XRP — have thus purchased about 150 million XRP since November 25. At the current price, this amounts to about $330 million in new exposure.

The group holding 10 to 100 million has been even more aggressive and has added approximately 970 million XRP since November 23, or nearly $2.13 billion at current prices.

XRP Whales: Sentiment

With XRP trading around $2.20, this new exposure from whales entered the market during a week when the token gained more than 16%, reinforcing the idea that these buyers are betting on a price increase rather than weakness.

This increase occurs at a crucial technical moment. The price of XRP has spent almost two months defending the support of $1.77, a level tested twice — on October 10 and again at the end of November — and which quickly formed a double bottom.

To continue its bullish progression, the price of XRP must break through $2.30, a resistance that has rejected all its rally attempts since November 15. A daily close above this area would then open the way towards $2.45 and $2.61, where the next supply concentrations are located.

XRP Price Analysis: TradingView

If XRP falls below $2.11, the bullish structure will deteriorate. A deeper test of $1.81 will then become likely, but this would only occur if whale accumulation turns into distribution.

Cardano (ADA)

Cardano is included on this list as it seems that crypto whales have started turning back to large caps after XRP. Two key groups of ADA whales have thus been buyers during the last period of November.

The largest holders, wallets containing more than 1 billion ADA, began to add to their positions on November 24. Since then, they have accumulated a total of 130 million ADA. The group holding between 10 and 100 million started buying on November 26 and added 150 million ADA. Both cohorts have become net positive in a few days, which shows renewed conviction, even as the token trades near its recent lows.

Cardano Whales: Sentiment

As ADA trades around $0.41, this combined accumulation of whales represents a significant return of capital to the market. Purchases also occurred during the same period when ADA showed a slight recovery of 5% over a week, making the accumulation even more remarkable.

On the 12-hour chart, ADA shows a standard bullish divergence. Between November 4 and 21, the price reached a lower low, while the RSI (Relative Strength Index), which measures momentum, reached a higher low.

This type of divergence often indicates that a trend reversal is forming beneath the surface. The first signs of this change have already appeared.

ADA Price Analysis: TradingView

For ADA to gain strength in December, it is necessary for it to close solidly above $0.43. A breakthrough above this level would open the way towards $0.52, which would reverse the short-term structure into a bullish trend. If ADA drops to $0.38, the bullish setup weakens, and the reversal signal could fail.