Large Bitcoin (BTC) holders have accumulated approximately 104,340 coins over recent months while the cryptocurrency struggles near $86,000, with data showing wallets holding over 1,000 BTC now control 7.17 million coins — their highest level since Sep. 15, 2025.
What Happened: Whale Accumulation Rises
Wallet addresses holding more than 1,000 BTC have collectively increased their positions by more than 1.5% following months of steady buying. The market intelligence platform noted that daily transfers exceeding $1 million have reached a two-month high.
Strategy, the Bitcoin treasury company, added to the accumulation trend by purchasing 2,932 BTC for $264.1 million between Jan. 20-25 at an average price of $90,061 per coin. The acquisition brought the firm's total holdings to 712,647 BTC, valued at approximately $62.6 billion.
Strategy's January purchases now total four separate transactions across 25 days, including 22,305 BTC for $2.13 billion acquired Jan. 12-19.
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Why It Matters: Futures Signal Caution
Darkfost, a market expert and CryptoQuant author, noted that open interest has steadily declined since November, which does not support the emergence of a new price trend. Although a brief improvement occurred earlier this month, it was followed by a price pullback.
When open interest rises, it mostly signals trend continuation or even reversal triggered by an influx of long positions, Darkfost stated. Weekend deleveraging increased as BTC displayed steady correction.
These phases aid in cleaning the market of excessive leverage. Futures remain the primary source of volume, making developments there essential to monitor.
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