Cardano (ADA) has experienced significant whale activity, with large wallets acquiring over 180 million ADA tokens within 48 hours in August 2025. Throughout Q3 2025, whales added approximately 200-210 million tokens, increasing their holdings to about 10.3% of ADA's total supply. Institutional custody of ADA surged by 30%, reaching roughly $900 million in holdings. This accumulation coincides with optimism surrounding Grayscale's pending spot ADA ETF, which Bloomberg analysts estimate has an 83% chance of approval.
The U.S. Clarity Act has classified Cardano as a "mature blockchain," fueling speculation it could receive similar recognition to Ethereum ETFs. On-chain data shows transactions over $100,000 hit a five-month high in August, with whales collectively holding around 5.55 billion ADA. Retail investors are also withdrawing ADA from exchanges, further reducing sell pressure.
XRP is also attracting substantial whale interest, with holders of 10-100 million XRP adding 340 million tokens in the past two weeks, bringing their combined holdings to nearly 7.84 billion coins. This accumulation occurs as XRP hovers around the $2.8 mark, which analysts identify as a critical support level. Data from Santiment and CryptoQuant confirms both whales and mid-sized investors are increasing exposure during recent price dips.
Both assets are benefiting from Ethereum ETF success, which saw nearly 18% gains in August with $4 billion in net inflows. Analysts expect capital rotation into other high-conviction altcoins, with XRP and ADA positioned as front-runners for potential ETF approvals. Filings from Grayscale, Bitwise, and other managers are already under SEC review for XRP ETFs.