Bitcoin Retail Inflows Hit Six-Month High as Whales Hold Back

Highlights:

• Retail Bitcoin deposits on Binance have nearly doubled, reaching $10.75 billion over the past 30 days.
• Meanwhile, large Bitcoin holders are sending fewer coins to Binance, with deposits falling to $3.8 billion.
• Bitcoin could fall to $72,500 if it stays below $82,000, according to analyst Ali Martinez.

Bitcoin (BTC) retail deposits on Binance have reached their highest level in six months. However, large Bitcoin holders are sending fewer coins to the exchange. The gap has widened as BTC trades near $80,000.

In an October 26 post on X, market analyst Darkfost said smaller investors had sharply increased their Bitcoin deposits. Meanwhile, whales, or investors holding large amounts of BTC, have taken a different approach.

🗞️ Retail Inflows hit a 6-Month high as bitcoin:native holds $80K

BTC flow analysis shows that whales and retail investors are behaving in radically opposite ways right now.

This is not new, retail investors are known for being more emotional, more unstable and more reactive to… pic.twitter.com/qDSN28gs2a

— Darkfost (@Darkfost_Coc) October 25, 2026

Retail Bitcoin Deposits Nearly Double to $10.75 Billion

According to Darkfost, retail Bitcoin inflows to Binance over 30 days rose from $5.5 billion to $10.75 billion. That marks an increase of about 95% and the highest level in six months. Bitcoin has traded above $80,000 for several weeks. Darkfost believes some smaller investors are using the recent recovery to sell at better prices after a long period of market weakness.

Investors often send Bitcoin to exchanges when they plan to sell. However, not every deposit leads to a sale. Some investors also move their funds to trade or hold them on the platform. Meanwhile, whale deposits have continued to fall. Darkfost said the 30-day total dropped from $5.9 billion at the end of August to $3.8 billion. That represents a decline of about 36%.

The decline has lasted almost two months. According to Darkfost, large holders appear less interested in selling their Bitcoin at current prices. Retail deposits are now nearly three times higher than whale deposits by value. However, the figures only cover Bitcoin moving onto Binance. They do not confirm how much BTC investors have actually sold.

Higher deposits can add selling pressure if investors decide to sell their coins. Still, Bitcoin’s price also depends on buying demand. Strong demand could absorb additional selling, while weaker demand could put more pressure on the market.

Bitcoin Could Fall Toward $72,500, Says Ali Martinez

In a separate October 26 post, crypto analyst Ali Martinez warned that Bitcoin could face another decline. He said BTC appeared to have broken a rising parallel channel on the four-hour chart below. A rising channel forms when prices move between two upward-sloping lines. Breaking below the lower line can signal weakness in the short-term trend.

Martinez identified $82,000 as an important resistance level. If Bitcoin stays below that price, he believes BTC could continue falling toward $72,500. He also described $72,500 as a potential buying area. However, his forecast depends on Bitcoin failing to recover above $82,000. A drop from the current price of around $80,300 to $72,500 would represent a decline of roughly 9.7%.

BITCOIN APPROACHES BUY ZONE

Bitcoin appears to have broken below a rising parallel channel on the 4-hour chart.

As long as $82,000 holds as resistance, $BTC could continue correcting toward $72,500.

That’s where I’ll be looking for the next buying opportunity. pic.twitter.com/lHnB4XnUhS

— Ali Charts (@alicharts) October 26, 2026

At the time of writing, Bitcoin was trading at approximately $80,200, down 0.31% over the previous 24 hours, according to CoinMarketCap.