Bitcoin (BTC) Price: Whales Accumulate $3.17B as BTC Looks to Break $80,000

TLDR

• Bitcoin has seen a 13.6% increase in April, positioning it for its strongest month in a year.
• Wallets holding between 10 and 10,000 BTC have acquired approximately 41,000 BTC since April 10.
• Tether’s USDT supply has grown to around $150 billion, with an addition of $5 billion in the last two weeks.
• Bitcoin ETFs experienced 8 consecutive days of inflows, totaling $223 million as of April 23, with BlackRock’s IBIT leading the surge.
• The $79,000 mark is identified as a critical resistance level for traders in anticipation of the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting.

(SeaPRwire) –   Bitcoin is currently experiencing its best April in a year. The price reached a high of $79,327 on Wednesday before settling around $77,390. The cryptocurrency has gained approximately 13.6% this month.

This recovery follows a challenging period where crypto markets experienced their longest losing streak since 2018, with consecutive monthly declines from October to February.

One contributing factor to the current rebound is the availability of stablecoin liquidity. Tether’s USDT supply has expanded to nearly $150 billion, adding approximately $5 billion in the past two weeks. Analysts often interpret stablecoin growth as an indicator of new capital entering the cryptocurrency markets.

On a broader economic front, U.S. equities have also shown signs of recovery. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq have moved back towards their record highs after briefly entering correction territory earlier this year.

Jasper de Maere, an OTC trader at Wintermute, commented that markets appear to have “stopped caring” about news related to Middle East conflicts. He suggested that strong corporate earnings are helping to mitigate geopolitical concerns, although he also noted a “certain level of fatigue and potentially complacency.”

Whale Accumulation Stands Out

According to crypto sentiment analysis platform Santiment, Bitcoin wallets holding between 10 and 10,000 BTC have collectively acquired 40,967 BTC since April 10, a move valued at approximately $3.17 billion.

Santiment shared on X: “Bitcoin’s key stakeholders are accumulating rapidly.” The platform indicated that this trend, where large holders are buying while retail investors are taking profits, is “one of the strongest signals for a long-term bull run.”

Bitcoin’s key stakeholders are accumulating rapidly with $BTC currently up to $78.3K and crypto’s top cap up +15% in April.

According to our on-chain data:

10-10K BTC Wallets have collectively accumulated 40,967 more $BTC in the past 2 weeks (+0.3%)
Less Than… pic.twitter.com/ViffTAQg4Q

— Santiment (@santimentfeed) April 23, 2026

In contrast, retail investors (holding less than 0.1 BTC) acquired only 46 BTC during the same period, valued at approximately $3.56 million.

Andre Dragosch, head of Europe research at Bitwise, also commented on X on Friday, stating, “Institutional demand for Bitcoin is clearly accelerating.”

ETF Inflows Remain Strong

Bitcoin ETFs recorded net inflows of $223 million on April 23, marking the eighth consecutive day of positive flows. BlackRock’s IBIT led with $167.49 million, while Ark & 21Shares’ ARKB added $71.22 million. The total net assets for Bitcoin ETFs reached $102.79 billion.

Ether ETFs, however, experienced their first outflow after a 10-day streak, with a net loss of $75.94 million.

Michael van de Poppe, founder of MN Trading Capital, suggested on Thursday that Bitcoin has “enough room” to advance towards $86,000, provided it maintains the $75,000 level to sustain its momentum.

Upwards moves can last longer than you generally expect.#Bitcoin collapsed from $100K+ to $60K in less than 2 months.

Currently, there’s a slow grind higher after a V-shaped recovery in the Nasdaq.

I think this leg has enough room to continue to $86K, and #Altcoins to run… pic.twitter.com/f420cj6WGJ

— Michaël van de Poppe (@CryptoMichNL) April 23, 2026

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index was at 39 on Friday, remaining in the “Fear” zone.

Adam Haeems, head of asset management at Tesseract Group, stated that the $79,000 level is “structurally important because heavy institutional overhead supply sits just above it.” He added that if ETF inflows persist through the upcoming Fed meeting, the $79,000 level could transition from resistance to support.

The upcoming Federal Reserve meeting is the most closely watched event in the short term for traders.