Key takeaways
Retail investors are selling into Bitcoin’s rally, with $16 billion in inflows to Binance indicating widespread profit-taking. Meanwhile, whales have quietly accumulated over $600 million in crypto, suggesting growing confidence in the long-term upside.
Bitcoin’s [BTC] recent rally has sparked mixed reactions across the market.
While retail investors seem to be cashing out, with over $16 billion flowing into Binance, whales are doing the opposite – quietly buying up more than $600 million worth of crypto.
One does wonder: Is a deeper divide forming between retail traders and large investors?
Retail is cashing out
Retail inflows to Binance have surged from $12 billion to over $16 billion in recent weeks; a clear sign of heightened selling activity.
This behavior mirrors the pattern seen in April 2025, when Bitcoin rose from $78K to $111K, but retail traders exited early, missing further gains.
Source: CryptoQuant
Once again, as Bitcoin approaches all-time highs, smaller investors seem eager to lock in profits rather than ride the momentum.
The spike in exchange inflows highlights a lack of long-term conviction and a recurring fear-driven tendency to sell into strength.
Growing bearish pressure
Supporting this sell-off narrative is Binance’s Net Taker Volume, which has now turned sharply negative, plunging below -$60 million, at press time.
This indicates that sellers are increasingly dominating the market, with market takers either closing long positions or initiating shorts.
Source: CryptoQuant
Even with Bitcoin trading near its highs, active traders remain bearish, reflecting fears of a potential correction and doubts about the rally’s strength.
This behavior highlights retail investors’ hesitation and a lack of confidence in Bitcoin’s current upward momentum.
Are whales buying the dip?
On the other hand, whales are showing no signs of hesitation.
According to analyst Amr Taha, whales have withdrawn over $600 million in crypto from centralized exchanges, including $400 million in ETH and $200 million in BTC in the past 24 hours.
Source: CryptoQuant
These large-scale outflows typically reflect strong accumulation intent, as whales prefer holding assets off-exchange when expecting long-term appreciation.
Rather than selling into strength like retail, whales appear to be doubling down. This could be a sign of a bullish continuation… and possibly, an institutional advantage in anticipating long-term moves.
The gap between whales and retail? Wider than ever…
Retail traders are selling into rising prices, driven by short-term gains or fear—while whales are quietly accumulating.
This pattern isn’t new: retail often exits early, allowing whales to scoop up assets at discounted prices. But this time, the gap in behavior and sentiment is unusually large.
Retail inflows have surged to $16 billion, flooding exchanges with sell pressure. Meanwhile, whales are withdrawing funds, positioning for long-term upside.
If this trend continues, the market could once again tilt in favor of whales.
