HYPE and other tokens saw major whale inflows, with smart money favoring emerging assets over the weekend.
The crypto market experienced fluctuating performance over the weekend, with the total market capitalization dipping on Saturday before rebounding on Sunday and maintaining gains into Monday.
Amid this volatility, whale activity highlighted various strategies, with notable buying and selling across multiple crypto assets, including Ethereum (ETH), Bitcoin (BTC), and more.
Ethereum has been capturing significant market attention lately amid a bullish rally, and whales are no exception. As it experienced a dip over the weekend, one seller, whale address 0x3c9E, continued its aggressive divestment of ETH.
Lookonchain reported that the whale offloaded a total of 33,682 ETH valued at around $119 million in early August. Arthur Hayes, Maelstrom Fund’s Chief Investment Officer (CIO), also sold 2,373 ETH worth $8.32 million. In addition, the executive liquidated:
“7.76 million ENA ($4.62 million) and 38.86 billion PEPE ($414,700),” Lookonchain posted.
This selling spree could likely suggest a profit-taking strategy amid market uncertainty. In contrast, other whales adopted a bullish stance.
BeInCrypto reported that a whale acquired $300 million of ETH. Furthermore, SharpLink Gaming purchased 30,755 ETH for 108.57 million USDC. The firm now holds 480,031 ETH, which is valued at around $1.65 billion.
OnChain Lens highlighted that another whale received 25,540 ETH from FalconX.
“Previously, the whale received 35,615 ETH, worth $130.11 million, which was sent for staking with ETH2.0 in 2 wallets, now facing a $10 million loss,” the post read.
These acquisitions indicated confidence in ETH’s long-term value despite short-term fluctuations. Meanwhile, crypto whales also adjusted their Bitcoin positions.
Today, Metaplanet announced the addition of 463 BTC to its holdings. The firm spent around $53.7 million to buy this stack, which averaged approximately $115,895 per coin.
“As of 8/4/2025, we hold 17,595 BTC acquired for ~$1.78 billion at ~$101,422 per bitcoin,” Metaplanet CEO, Simon Gerovich, wrote.
Moreover, El Salvador increased its national Bitcoin reserves to 6,258.18 BTC, now worth approximately $718 million, reinforcing its commitment to the asset as a treasury reserve. Additionally, a dormant address holding 306 BTC, inactive for 12.4 years, was reactivated, sparking speculation about the intentions of long-term holders.
Other tokens also drew whale attention. An on-chain analyst highlighted that a Hyperliquid (HYPE) whale (0x7BE…480D8) increased their position by depositing 4.07 million USDC into the Hyperliquid exchange and purchasing more HYPE tokens. This significant buy pushed the wallet up eight places in the ranking of the top holders.
“Currently, including the staked portion, he holds 487,209.95 HYPE (approximately $18.65 million), with an unrealized profit of $1.535 million,” the analyst stated.
Meanwhile, Nansen identified MAGICIAN, AIPEPE, and CHILLHOUSE as the tokens with the largest net inflow of smart money over the weekend.
The weekend’s whale movements revealed a polarized market outlook. Selling pressure from some crypto whales, with aggressive buying by other entities, highlighted diverging investment strategies.
However, the market’s rebound on Sunday and sustained gains today suggest that buying pressure may be outweighing sell-offs.
