The cryptocurrency Ethereum continues to attract the attention of large investors, even amid a price drop below the realized value of addresses accumulating the asset.
This is reported by Finway
Increase in Purchases by Major Players
According to the analytical platform CryptoQuant, the full-scale accumulation of Ethereum by so-called “whales” began back in June 2025. Notably, the current market price of this digital asset is already below the level at which mass purchases started. Despite this, large players are not reducing their purchase volumes – on the contrary, their activity is only intensifying.
“Ethereum has fallen below the realized price of addresses accumulating the coin, but large players continue to buy.”
Experts emphasize that the current price of Ethereum likely appears particularly attractive to high-capital investors.
Market Structure: Share of Whales and Small Wallets
According to the platform Santiment, addresses holding 1000 ETH or more currently control less than 75% of the total Ethereum supply. The decrease in this share is attributed to sales that intensified after Christmas 2025, when large holders sold about 1.5% of the coin’s supply.
At the same time, small investors holding less than 1 ETH are increasing their presence in the market, likely due to participation in staking. As of now, this group controls a record 2.3% of the total Ethereum supply, indicating a gradual democratization of asset distribution among users.
As of February 2026, the price of Ethereum remains below the psychological threshold of $2000.
It is worth noting that recently Vitalik Buterin presented an updated strategy for integrating artificial intelligence technologies with the Ethereum ecosystem, which could stimulate further development of the platform.