Two forms of whale activity on the Chainlink network have risen sharply, including substantial LINK accumulation, according to crypto analysts citing Santiment data. The activity has been presented as a sign of renewed attention around the ecosystem and its native token's price performance.

Chainlink, a decentralized oracle network that connects smart contracts to off-chain data feeds, APIs, and traditional payment systems, has also continued to gain ground in Real World Assets, or RWA, development metrics, moving into second place in a recent Santiment ranking, behind Hedera. The RWA sector — which involves tokenizing traditional financial instruments such as bonds, funds, and commodities on blockchain networks — has drawn growing institutional interest, with banks and asset managers exploring on-chain issuance and settlement. Santiment's development ranking compares GitHub activity, giving an indication of where builder attention is concentrated across the ecosystem.

LINK Whale Activity Increases

Crypto analyst Ali Martinez, citing recent Santiment data, said whale activity on Chainlink had "surged over the past two weeks." The data referenced by Martinez showed a notable increase in large transactions, including more than 20 transactions worth over $1 million each earlier this week. Martinez said the activity signaled "growing interest from large holders." Large transaction counts are commonly tracked by on-chain analytics firms as a proxy for institutional or high-net-worth participation, though they can also include exchange transfers and operational movements.

Whale activity on the Chainlink $LINK network has surged over the past two weeks. Today alone, more than 20 transactions worth over $1 million each were recorded, signaling growing interest from large holders. pic.twitter.com/iIvZ68joXx — Ali Charts (@alicharts) July 22, 2026

The related X post is available at https://x.com/alicharts/status/2079854462290551013?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw.

In a separate comment, Martinez said whales had been accumulating LINK, acquiring more than 14 million LINK tokens in less than a month.

"Large-scale accumulation like this often reflects growing confidence from major holders and is worth keeping an eye on," he concluded.

The data indicated that whale holdings increased from under 170 million LINK to roughly 182 million to 183 million LINK as of the beginning of the current business week. Martinez's separate X post is available at https://x.com/alicharts/status/2080094292178317636.

At the same time, Santiment's RWA development ranking placed Chainlink in second place, trailing only Hedera. The ranking compares how chains performed relative to the previous month and showed a solid performance from Chainlink. Santiment's X post is available at https://x.com/SantimentData/status/2079993159111627088.

Analysts Discuss $50-$100 LINK Scenario

Crypto Patel also recently commented on LINK's price performance, warning that 99% of people will ignore the setup before "it's too late." The analyst compared current market behavior with moves from six years ago, when LINK recorded a sharp rally that eventually took the token to its all-time high of almost $53, according to CoinGecko data.

Patel said the fact that spot LINK ETFs have not recorded a single red month was extremely bullish, even though net inflows have slowed since May. He noted that cumulative total net inflows are well above $125 million, describing this as evidence that "smart money continues to accumulate," while most retail investors "still believe LINK is dead." The cited targets of $50 to $100 would represent a range roughly at or above LINK's prior all-time high, a level the token has not sustained on a monthly closing basis, according to CoinGecko historical data.

After describing the current environment as the "biggest" opportunity because conviction is at its lowest, Patel cited large price targets for LINK in the next bull cycle, ranging from $50 to $100. His X post is available at https://x.com/CryptoPatel/status/2079484023894655042.