Bitcoin Whales Keep Buying

Whale Wallet Count Hits New High

The number of Bitcoin wallets holding at least 100 $BTC has risen to 20,229, up 11.2% from 18,191 a year ago, according to on-chain analytics firm Santiment. At the current Bitcoin price near $76,700, a 100 BTC balance is worth roughly $7.7 million. That places this cohort well above the threshold typically associated with individual retail investors and puts it firmly in the territory of high-net-worth individuals, funds, and institutions.

The cohort captures wallets often tied to whales, long-term holders, family offices, funds, institutions, custodians, and major crypto-native investors. The count does not map perfectly to individual owners, since one entity can control many wallets and exchanges or custodians can hold funds for many users. Even so, the direction of the trend carries weight: the number of large BTC balances has expanded rather than shrunk, and the rise comes during a period when Bitcoin has seen sharp swings, ETF-flow pressure, and heavy liquidation events.

Accumulation Through Volatility

Santiment data shows steady accumulation regardless of price action. Bitcoin peaked near $90,000 in late 2025, crashed to $60,000 in February, rallied back to $82,000, then corrected to $76,000. Through all that volatility, the whale wallet count climbed without major dips.

Whale wallets holding 100 or more BTC surpassed 20,000 for the first time, while long-term holders sold less BTC this cycle than in 2021, easing sell pressure. Santiment's reading is especially notable because Bitcoin has not been trading in a clean euphoric breakout. The asset has spent much of the past year rotating between institutional accumulation, retail hesitation, and leverage-driven corrections. In that environment, growth in the 100-plus BTC wallet count looks less like a speculative spike and more like a slow accumulation trend.

Historically, an increase in the number of whale wallets has often occurred during accumulation phases, subsequently supporting price recoveries. Whether that pattern holds this cycle remains to be seen, but the on-chain signal from Santiment points to large holders treating drawdowns as entry points rather than exits.

Sources:
Crypto Adventure: Bitcoin Whale Wallets Rise 11% As 100 BTC Holders Keep Accumulating
BeInCrypto: 20K Whale Wallets and Scarcity Signal Quiet BTC Accumulation
FX Leaders: Bitcoin Whales Add 2,000 Wallets in a Year Despite Price Dropping 40%