Ethereum has just witnessed its biggest whale accumulation since 2017, with wallets holding between 1,000 to 10,000 ETH adding a staggering 871,000 ETH in a single day. This marks the largest one-day whale inflow in 2025 so far, according to on-chain data from Glassnode.
Over the past week, these high-value wallets have consistently added over 800,000 ETH daily, pushing their combined holdings to more than 14.3 million ETH—roughly 27% of the total supply.
Whale Activity Hints at Growing Confidence
This massive accumulation has caught the attention of analysts, many of whom see parallels to previous pre-bull run behavior, especially in 2017. Despite Ethereum’s current sideways price movement, whales are clearly betting on long-term growth.
“This scale of buying hasn’t been seen since 2017,” Glassnode noted. “The accumulation trend strongly mirrors pre-bull cycle patterns.”
ETH is currently trading around $2,548, struggling to break past the $2,700 resistance zone, which has held firm throughout multiple attempts. On the daily chart, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) sits at 54, indicating neutral market momentum with neither bulls nor bears in clear control.
Ethereum Staking and Layer 2 Adoption on the Rise
Beyond whale buying, Ethereum’s fundamentals also look strong. Staked ETH has now crossed the 35 million mark, showing increased commitment from the network’s participants.
Accumulation wallets—those that have never sold ETH—are also growing, holding a record 22.8 million ETH, a sign that long-term holders remain confident despite recent market uncertainty.
Meanwhile, Ethereum’s Layer 2 activity is booming:
- USDC transfers on Arbitrum and Optimism are rising.
- Ethereum Name Service (ENS) whale transactions surged 313.5% in the second week of June.
- Lending protocols saw a 203.8% jump in whale participation, showing stronger DeFi engagement.
What’s Driving the Buying Frenzy?
Analysts believe whales may be positioning ahead of key developments in the Ethereum ecosystem. These include:
- Upcoming protocol upgrades
- Growing real-world adoption of Ethereum for assets like stablecoins
- Rising institutional interest in Ethereum-based finance
If history repeats itself, this level of strategic accumulation could be the early sign of a major ETH price rally in the months ahead.
Bottom Line:
While ETH’s price hasn’t made a breakout yet, the behavior of large investors paints a bullish picture. The combination of whale accumulation, rising staking, and surging Layer 2 activity could signal that Ethereum is gearing up for its next big move.
