Uniswap Whales Quietly Bought 12.4M UNI: What’s Next for Price?

• Uniswap’s top 100 wallets added 12.41 million UNI tokens in just eight weeks.
• A rare bullish divergence has formed where the price stays flat while large holders continue to buy aggressively.
• Breaking the $7.0 resistance level could open the door for a rally toward the $10.0 mark.

Market data shows that Uniswap whale accumulation is reaching levels not seen in months.

While the general market still moves cautiously, the largest holders of UNI are quietly making their move. These investors have gathered millions of tokens during the last price consolidation.

This said, history shows that when whales buy this much, a major move is often on the horizon.

Why And How Much Are The Whales Buying

The sheer volume of the accumulation is hard to ignore right now. According to Santiment, the top 100 wallets have added 12.41 million UNI tokens since late last year.

This group includes the most influential players in the ecosystem, and their decisions often control where the price goes next.

Moreover, this trend is creating what experts call a bullish divergence. The price of UNI has remained relatively flat near the $5.40 range so far.

🦄 You may not have Uniswap on your radar at the moment, but the 100 largest wallets have accumulated 12.41M $UNI in the past 8 weeks. Historically, these group of wallets correlate tightly with crypto’s #32 market cap asset. A bullish divergence has been forming, which may lead… pic.twitter.com/NRfpGDlqBE

— Santiment (@santimentfeed) January 16, 2026

Meanwhile, the amount of tokens held by big players is rising fast. Usually, the price eventually catches up to the buying pressure and this gap between price and accumulation indicates that the market is coiled like a spring.

Another notable detail is that retail traders often miss these signals until the move has already happened. Whales tend to buy near the bottom when fear is high and by the time the news breaks, the price is often much higher.

Levels to Watch for the Next Breakout

Technical charts are now showing a path for the next leg up. The most important resistance zone sits between $6.5 and $7.0, and this area has acted as a ceiling for several months.

If the price closes above $7.0, sentiment will likely shift from neutral to aggressively bullish.

The 200-period moving average still sits above the current price. This indicates that the long-term trend is still trying to turn a corner. However, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) is holding near 45.

Indicators are showing mixed signals as UNI prepares for a push upwards, source: TradingView

In other words, the token is not overbought yet. There is plenty of room for a surge without the market getting overheated.

If the $7.0 level breaks, liquidity gaps suggest a quick move to $10.0. So far, the market has a lot of “stored” energy from the recent accumulation phase, and a sudden spike in volume could trigger a chain reaction of buying.

Market Sentiment and Bitcoin

No altcoin moves in a vacuum, and the strength of Bitcoin is a major factor for UNI.

If Bitcoin continues its uptrend, it provides the “wind in the sails” for decentralised exchange tokens (like UNI). Many investors view UNI as a beta play on the health of the entire crypto sector.

Despite the heavy accumulation from the whales, though, some indicators are still flashing mixed signals. On-chain outflows show that small holders are still selling or moving funds.

This is actually a common sign of a market bottom where coins move from “weak hands” to “strong hands” before a rally begins.

The 20-day and 50-day EMAs are currently acting as short-term hurdles where UNI trades near $5.43, just below these key averages.

This means that a reclaim of $5.60 would be the first sign that buyers are taking control again.

Why This Accumulation Cycle Is Different

The current behaviour of the UNI market is happening alongside major protocol changes.

Governance proposals like the “UNIfication” plan have changed how the token works, and the activation of protocol fees and token burns has added a deflationary element to UNI.

Whales are likely setting up shop for these value drivers, and by burning 100 million UNI tokens from the treasury, the total supply has shrunk.

This makes every remaining token scarcer than it was before. Large holders understand that a lower supply plus higher demand equals a higher price and may be buying because of the fact.