3 Altcoins that Crypto Whales are Buying and Releasing in Early 2026

Updated

January 3, 2026

Gambar 3 Altcoins that Crypto Whales are Buying and Releasing in Early 2026

Jakarta, Pintu News – On New Year’s Day 2026, the big players in the crypto market, often referred to as crypto whales, have started their moves early. These deep-pocketed individuals have made significant purchases and sales, giving an early indication of the direction of capital flows in the new year.

This article will dig deeper into their actions on Chainlink , Ethena , and Pendle , providing an overview of strategies that other investors might adopt.

Chainlink (LINK): Accumulation at the Beginning of the Year

chainlink santiment — Source: BeInCrypto/Santiment

At the start of 2026, there was a significant increase in Chainlink (LINK) holdings by whales. The number of LINKs owned by them increased from 505.34 million on December 31 to 505.7 million on New Year’s Day. This represents an addition of approximately 0.36 million LINKs, with a value of approximately $4.46 million.

This increase shows the whales’ strong confidence in Chainlink (LINK), especially considering that January is often a strong period for this crypto. The historical positive performance in January may be one of the reasons why whales chose to increase their holdings at the beginning of the year.

Also read: These 3 Charts Hint at Bitcoin’s Fate Toward $100,000 in January 2026

Ethena (ENA): Sales by Whale

ena whales santiment — Source: BeInCrypto/Santiment

In contrast to Chainlink (LINK), Ethena (ENA) saw a decrease in ownership by whales. On New Year’s Day, the amount of ENA owned by whales dropped from 6.31 billion to 6.29 billion. This means there was a sale of about 20 million ENA, with a total value of about $4.20 million.

This sale indicates selling pressure from large holders, which could be an indication of trouble or a red flag prompting them to exit their positions in Ethena (ENA). This drop sets a bearish tone for ENA at the start of the year.

Pendle (PENDLE): Risky Buying

pendle whale santiment — Source: BeInCrypto/Santiment

Despite the risk indications on its chart, Pendle (PENDLE) kept getting buying attention from the whales. Their holdings increased from 193.54 million PENDLE at the end of December to 194.31 million on New Year’s Day, adding about 0.77 million PENDLE worth roughly $1.42 million.

pendle crypto price — Source: BeInCrypto

The buying is interesting as it happened despite the Pendle (PENDLE) showing a bearish setup. However, the price increase of 7.7% in the last seven days may have provided an opportunity for whales to speculate or take short-term positions, albeit with higher risk.

Conclusion

The actions of the crypto whales on New Year’s Day 2026 provide important insights into the dynamics of the crypto market at the beginning of the year. Those who understand these moves can make more informed investment decisions, follow the lead of the big players or perhaps take an opposing strategy based on their own analysis.

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*Disclaimer

This content aims to enrich readers’ information. Pintu collects this information from various relevant sources and is not influenced by outside parties. Note that an asset’s past performance does not determine its projected future performance. Crypto trading activities have high risk and volatility, always do your own research and use cold cash before investing. All activities of buying and selling bitcoin and other crypto asset investments are the responsibility of the reader.

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