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Finance.yahoo.com data shows Pepe (PEPE), PancakeSwap (CAKE), and World Liberty Financial (WLFI) saw the largest increases in whale accumulation for the third week of May 2026.
Bitcoinfoundation.org’s “Top 5 Altcoins Whales Are Buying Aggressively in May 2026” report confirms large wallet holders drove the move. Analysts note addresses controlling over $500,000 in a token boosted concentration in PEPE by 10.7% and CAKE by 12.4% on a weekly basis.
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| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| May’s Altcoin Rotation | Sizable funds shift from Bitcoin into targeted meme and DeFi coins after CPI data cools inflation concerns. |
| Pepe Whale Surge | PEPE wallets with over $1 million rise dramatically, outpacing historical meme coin cycles per finance.yahoo.com. |
| CAKE Rebounds | PancakeSwap’s TVL returns near $3.4 billion, reversing April outflows on renewed whale interest. |
| WLFI Attracts Fresh Capital | World Liberty Financial’s daily transaction volume moves higher to hit a new monthly high, according to finance.yahoo.com. |
More News
- ETH Whale Re-entry:Hefty Ethereum accumulation addresses rise by 7.3%, marking the first net inflow since February 2026, per bitcoinfoundation.org.
- Decentralized Derivatives Platform:The platform maintains its ascending trendline with 18% week-on-week whale growth, according to bitcoinfoundation.org.
- Chainlink Infrastructure:LINK’s staking protocol logs 5.6 million new tokens from whale deposits since May 10, per finance.yahoo.com.
- Market Overview:Total altcoin market cap increases $42 billion week-on-week to $1.41 trillion, with rotational buying across mid-cap levels per finance.yahoo.com.
Pepe (PEPE)
bitcoinfoundation.org reports PEPE’s breakout began after a softer April CPI report prompted a meaningful risk-on pivot among meaningful crypto holders. Whales responded briskly, adding $68 million in net PEPE positions between May 10 and May 17 — a gain of 42% over the previous week. Sizable wallets holding more than $500,000 in PEPE increased by 10.7% during this period.
Experts say data from Top 5 Altcoins Whales Are Buying Aggressively in May 2026 shows aggressive clustering around PEPE after macro sentiment improved.
PEPE’s 24-hour trading volume averaged $1.6 billion during the week, with vigorous liquidity. Open interest on derivative exchanges doubled from $150 million to $300 million by May 16, finance.yahoo.com reports. That leap put PEPE into a high-liquidity environment coveted by speculative whales. Primary holders now command roughly 27% of all PEPE tokens in circulation.
High-frequency order flow from finance.yahoo.com shows every $1 million+ whale buy triggered sharp price spikes, followed by brief pullbacks. The “whale staircase” price pattern sharpened as accumulation wallets clustered on May 13. PEPE options volume exceeded $52 million in daily notional value — the highest since April, per finance.yahoo.com.
PancakeSwap (CAKE)
Renewed whale demand for CAKE reversed a six-week stretch of outflows, finance.yahoo.com confirms. Large wallets with over $1 million in CAKE added $35 million in new exposure during the week. PancakeSwap’s TVL rebounded toward $3.4 billion — a sharp recovery from April’s lows. Yield rates between 9.2% and 10.1% across CAKE staking contracts played an essential role in this shift. Whales targeted these consistent returns after clearer inflation signals from US data. In May 2026, this marked the year’s first robust DeFi rotation benefiting CAKE directly.
Trading volume hit $380 million during the week, according to bitcoinfoundation.org’s flow analytics. Protocol governance roared back to life: most new proposals, introduced by whales, strongly influenced voting outcomes. Whale proposals helped lift CAKE’s market price 14%, pushing it above the 30-day moving average for the first time since March.
Whale inflows clustered at vital price bands, especially between $2.10 and $2.40, where blockchain monitors flagged $1 million+ block trades within two days.
World Liberty Financial (WLFI)
Hefty transfer activity and whale address growth fed each other for WLFI in mid-May, finance.yahoo.com reports. On May 15, WLFI daily on-chain volume hit a fresh record for the protocol, topping all essential Ethereum DeFi peers tracked that week. Average transfer size reached $54,600. That whale wallet count jumped from 311 to 364, up 17% in a week per bitcoinfoundation.org.
Protocol fee distributions rose to $2.25 million over seven days — a 9.8% jump week-on-week. With 68% of WLFI’s circulating supply locked, high-yield staking and climbing fee pools attracted fresh meaningful addresses.
May 12 brought a new lending product launch that generated $7.3 million in single-day deposits, mostly from five wallets contributing over $1 million each, per bitcoinfoundation.org.
The share of WLFI staked by whales reached 31% by May 17. This capital concentration has fortified network security and built protocol liquidity. If whale activity stays strong, protocol fee revenue could top $10 million for Q2 on current trends.
How Whale Accumulation Was Measured
bitcoinfoundation.org’s methodology defines a “whale” as any blockchain wallet holding more than $500,000 in a typical altcoin, or $250,000 in a new DeFi project such as WLFI.
1. Ethereum (ETH) – Whales Return to the Core Altcoin
According to Top 5 Altcoins Whales Are Buying Aggressively in May 2026, Ethereum whale accumulation addresses grew 7.3% in the third week of May. Wallets with at least 5,000 ETH — about $21 million at May 16 rates. Acquired 158,600 ETH, equivalent to $670.8 million in net buys between May 10 and May 17.
Daily trading volume averaged $4.1 billion, per finance.yahoo.com. Average daily Ethereum transaction fees touched $7.2 million, while the total value locked in Layer 2 platforms rose 5.4% week-on-week. Both Optimism and Arbitrum logged over $2 billion in net inflows in the same window. Cross-chain bridges saw over $520 million worth of ETH moved onto L2.
bitcoinfoundation.org notes the pending Prague fork — targeting changes in block size and gas fees for June — has focused whale voting power on proposed EIPs.
Ranking the Whale Signals
| Altcoin | Whale Growth | Weekly Net Buys | Peak Daily Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pepe (PEPE) | +10.7% | $68 million | $1.6 billion |
| PancakeSwap (CAKE) | +12.4% | $35 million | $380 million |
| World Liberty Financial (WLFI) | +17% | $34.7 million | $180 million |
| Ethereum (ETH) | +7.3% | $670.8 million | $4.1 billion |
The table above compares whale buy performance for all four focus assets in the week of May 10–17. PEPE, CAKE, and WLFI posted double-digit wallet growth alongside strong capital inflow, while ETH led on on balance dollar value of new buys.
What Whale Buys Mean for Market Trends
Whale buying pressure signals confidence and acute short-term leadership in individual altcoins. finance.yahoo.com data shows whale-dominated inflows often precede volatility spikes and, with enough staying power, foreshadow sector leadership. In May 2026, this lines up with the $42 billion week-on-week jump in altcoin market capitalization to $1.41 trillion. Heavy capital flow around PEPE, CAKE, and WLFI created short-term outperformance.
bitcoinfoundation.org reports as hefty holders cluster voting blocs, their preferred proposals — from supply restrictions to yield tweaks and new upgrades — can briskly alter protocol economics.
Everything the Top 3 Altcoin Crypto Whales Are Buying For the 3rd Week of May
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| May 10 | PEPE whale wallet concentration climbs after US CPI data triggers rotation into risk assets. |
| May 11 | CAKE trading volume crosses $320 million, with whales actively buying between $2.08 and $2.13. |
| May 12 | WLFI launches a lending product, notching $7.3 million in single-day whale deposits per finance.yahoo.com. |
| May 13 | PEPE options volume touches $44 million as whale positioning intensifies ahead of weekend volatility. |
| May 14 | CAKE governance sees new proposals from wallets controlling more than $1 million in voting power. |
| May 15 | WLFI 24-hour protocol revenue tops $935,000, a Q2 record as meme tokens surge in social metrics. |
| May 16 | PEPE open interest on derivatives platforms doubles to $300 million, while CAKE’s price overtakes its 30-day moving average. |
| May 17 | Aggregated whale buy flows in core altcoins reach $156 million, with risk appetite undiminished per bitcoinfoundation.org. |
Leaving the Top 3 Altcoin Buys in May
- May 18:Net profit-taking in PEPE as whales realize $7.2 million, per bitcoinfoundation.org.
- May 18:CAKE governance proposals slow down as protocol emissions cuts are scheduled later in May.
- May 18:WLFI experiences reduced daily transaction volume as whales begin dissolving staking allocations.