Bitcoin whales are regaining dominance over exchange activity. The Exchange Whale Ratio’s 30-day moving average has surged to 0.47—its highest level in seven months—indicating that nearly half of all BTC inflows to exchanges are now coming from the largest transactions.
Historically, such spikes in whale activity have preceded major market tops, as large holders tend to move funds in preparation to sell. With retail participation fading and whale influence rising, the market may shift into a distribution phase, raising the risk of a short-term correction.
Is a Deeper Bitcoin Crash Coming?
Bitcoin recently surpassed $111,000, making new all-time highs. Yet, profit-taking from whales and another potential macroeconomic downturn has caused BTC to drop over 6%, and it is currently trading at $104,000.
Data from CryptoQuant shows a sharp rise in the Exchange Whale Ratio, suggesting caution.
Historically, when this ratio exceeds 0.5—indicating that whales account for the majority of exchange inflows—price tops often follow.
The Exchange Whale Ratio measures how much of all Bitcoin flowing onto exchanges comes from the ten largest transactions. A 30-day moving average at 0.47 means nearly half of every BTC deposit is a “whale” transaction.
This pattern played out during previous market cycles, such as mid-2022 and late 2024, when elevated whale activity coincided with significant corrections.
In contrast, periods when the whale ratio dips below 0.35 have often marked phases of accumulation or early bull market momentum, dominated by retail participants.
“There is a growing dominance of large holders in recent exchange activity. This sharp increase mirrors the surge seen in the Exchange Whale Ratio during Bitcoin’s price rally in late 2023 and early 2024,” CryptoQuant analyst JA Maartunn told BeInCrypto.
The current spike in the 30-day moving average of the ratio further reinforces the notion that whales are once again becoming more active in exchange activity.
If history repeats, significant whale selling could trigger a pullback or increased volatility.
While Bitcoin price remains strong for now, this shift in behavioral dynamics suggests the market may be transitioning from accumulation to distribution, increasing the probability of a near-term top or correction.
In crypto trading, the promise of massive gains often comes with the risk of heavy losses. Over the years, several high-profile crypto traders have made headlines for their bold bets, only to see their fortunes crumble when the market turned against them.
From Bitcoin (BTC) to Ethereum (ETH), the crypto market has proven to be a double-edged sword. Millions can be made or lost in just hours, and traders are left to deal with the fallout from their high-risk moves. Here are the stories of three crypto traders who wiped out millions:
James Wynn
James Wynn, a pseudonymous trader on Hyperliquid, has become one of the most discussed figures on crypto Twitter (now X) due to his high-risk, high-reward trading style.
“Since I began trading this year on HyperLiquid I have made a total profit of $41,696,589.75 (on-chain). Next goal is $1bn. Not for the money. But for the legacy. Unlikely I’ll do it this cycle unless I went max degen on shorting the top, which I’m probably the only person with this kind of wealth who’s willing to turn it up on 40x leverage and put a significant % on the line,” Wynn said on May 9.
The trader had several successful trades. On May 24, he booked a $25.18 million profit from a long position in kPEPE and $16.89 million from a long Bitcoin position. Other notable trades included a $4.84 million profit from Fartcoin (FARTCOIN) on May 13 and a $6.83 million profit from Official Trump (TRUMP) on May 12.
Wynn’s profits peaked at over $87 million in late May. However, this was short-lived, as the trades began to backfire soon after. Wynn faced a series of significant setbacks.
On May 23, he lost $3.69 million from a long Ethereum position and $1.59 million from a Sui (SUI) long position. Two days later, on May 25, he suffered a $15.86 million loss from a short position in BTC.
“James Wynn has wiped out almost all his profits on Hyperliquid. It took him 70 days to go from 0 to $87 million+ in profit, and only 5 days to lose almost all the $87 million+ in profit,” Lookonchain posted on May 28.
Despite losing it all, Wynn’s bets continued. The largest blow came on May 30, when a long BTC position resulted in a loss of $37.41 million. Wynn’s losses extended into May 31, with an additional $1.20 million lost from another BTC long position.
At the time of writing, Wynn’s performance showed a win rate of 40.48%, with 17 successful trades out of 42.
Anonymous ETH Whale
Wynn’s downfall is part of a larger trend, with other crypto traders also losing millions. In March 2025, an anonymous cryptocurrency trader, identified by the wallet address 0xf3F496C9486BE5924a93D67e98298733Bb47057c, suffered a staggering $308 million loss after a 50x leveraged long position on ETH was liquidated.
The trader had opened the position when ETH was trading at $1,900, with a liquidation price of $1,877. However, amid heightened market volatility driven by global tariff concerns, ETH’s price plummeted, liquidating 160,234 ETH.
An Anonymous Trader’s 160,234 ETH Liquidation. Source: Hypurrscan
Lookonchain reported that the whale had rotated all their Bitcoin holdings into this leveraged ETH trade, amplifying the risk.
“Crazy! This whale has switched all of his long BTC positions to long ETH,” the post read.
Leveraged trading, which uses borrowed funds to magnify both gains and losses, proved disastrous in this case, as a small price movement wiped out the trader’s entire position.
While leveraged bets have led to massive financial losses, they have also tragically resulted in the loss of life. In June 2019, Hui Yi, the co-founder and CEO of the cryptocurrency market analysis platform BTE.TOP reportedly took his own life.
Yi’s distress was believed to be caused by his involvement in a failed 100x leveraged short position on 2,000 Bitcoins. The extreme leverage amplified his losses, making his position highly vulnerable to even minor price fluctuations.
There was also speculation that the 2,000 Bitcoins might have belonged to clients. Some even suggested that Yi may have faked his death to avoid repayment. However, no evidence supported these theories.
An ex-partner confirmed Yi’s death. This tragic incident highlighted the psychological toll of leveraged trading and the dangers of using excessive borrowed funds in the volatile crypto market.
A recent Cambridge report confirms that the United States now leads global Bitcoin mining, prompting questions about how China will respond. Though the country has long held an anti-crypto stance, Chinese mining pools have historically controlled a substantial portion of the global Bitcoin hashrate.
The US’s current competitive edge and renewed hostility over trade policy might motivate China to recapitulate. BeInCrypto spoke with representatives from The Coin Bureau and Wanchain to understand what might encourage China to change its stance toward digital assets.
US Overtakes China as Top Bitcoin Mining Hub
The US has firmly established itself as the world’s largest Bitcoin mining hub. A recent Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) report revealed that the US accounts for 75.4% of the reported hashrate.
Global distribution of Bitcoin mining activity. Source: CCAF.
This newest development confirms a notable reversal of power over Bitcoin mining dominance. China emerged as the world’s leading Bitcoin mining nation as early as 2017, leveraging its extensive mining infrastructure and low electricity costs to contribute upwards of 75% of the global hash rate at one point.
Yet, the country would later crack down on the industry.
China’s Crypto Crackdown
In 2019, the National Development and Reform Commission of China (NDRC) signaled its intention to prohibit cryptocurrency mining by releasing a draft law categorizing it as an “undesirable industry.”
Two years later, at least four Chinese provinces began shutting down mining operations. These crackdowns intensified amid concerns over excessive energy consumption.
However, China possesses a proven capacity to adjust to geopolitical shifts that could jeopardize its economic dominance, and the current environment may present such a challenge.
Has Bitcoin Mining in China Truly Stopped?
Even with China’s official stance toward crypto, mining activity has not stopped within the region. In July 2024, Bitcoin environmental impact analyst Daniel Batten reported that the hashrate within China currently accounts for approximately 15% of the global total.
7/8
Bottom lines: 1. 15%+ hashrate still comes from China
2. If you have 200-500 miners and want to do renewable-energy mining, you’re welcome
3. This is particularly in Inner Mongolia, the Texas of China, which has a lot of wasted renewable power they want to monetize pic.twitter.com/r6QUgmLmjT
“Despite the official ban, the infrastructure is already in place: from offshore mining to cross-border trading hubs. With more global momentum behind crypto adoption and the US taking the lead, China may find itself incentivized to lean in more strategically, even if unofficially,” Nic Puckrin, Co-founder of the Coin Bureau, told BeInCrypto.
China also has a geographical advantage over the United States, especially regarding technological advancements.
Crypto mining, especially for proof-of-work cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, depends on Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) equipment to handle the necessary complex calculations for validation and mining.
China’s position as a top exporter of crypto mining hardware, particularly to the US, gives it a potential advantage should it decide to revive its mining sector.
Puckrin believes that the combination of trade friction and the US’s invigorated push for crypto dominance might be sufficient to make China reconsider its position.
“It’s unlikely China will make a public U-turn on its crypto mining and trading ban anytime soon. However, with US-based miners accounting for higher and higher proportions of Bitcoin’s hashrate, China is bound to be paying attention and may well be quietly reassessing its stance,” Puckrin told BeInCrypto.
However, China has strategies beyond restarting its Bitcoin mining industry to undermine the United States’ dominance.
China’s Nuanced Approach Beyond US Influence
Even though China opposes the widespread use of cryptocurrencies domestically, it may still see value in digital assets to counterbalance the US dollar’s global currency dominance.
Several countries worldwide have either adopted or are considering central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) to strengthen their domestic currencies. China is at the forefront of these developments.
“Despite the ban on Bitcoin mining, China has actively participated in the digital asset space, through initiatives like CDBC research and the digital yuan, or e-CNY,” Wanchain CEO Temujin Louie told BeInCrypto.
In fact, China’s efforts to create a digital yuan are partly driven by its desire to de-dollarize its economy and lessen its dependence on the US dollar.
Louie also suggested that whatever move China makes, it won’t solely base its decision on what the US does or does not do.
That said, China’s decisions about digital currency will, in turn, affect how its position on crypto continues to develop.
“Weakening USD dominance, whether exacerbated or caused by President Trump’s approach to tariffs, may embolden China to be more aggressive in [its] efforts to internationalise the yuan, including the digital yuan, or e-CNY. Any change to China’s broader strategy will be reflected in [its] stance towards crypto,” he concluded.
China’s activity in other areas of international trade already proves how nuanced its policy changes tend to be.
Could China’s Conflicting Crypto Policies Signal a Change?
Aside from its appreciation of digital currencies like the e-CNY, China’s stance on crypto has already proven somewhat contradictory. These discrepancies may fuel the belief that the country might just be willing to revert—or at least soften—its total ban on mining.
A month ago, investment firm VanEck confirmed that China and Russia –two countries particularly burdened by US sanctions– are reportedly settling some of their energy trades using Bitcoin.
Russia and China are settling oil trades in BTC. I’ve heard first hand accounts of similar transactions with Venezuela. Full tankers are settled in BTC on the “grey” market. The U.S. Government crossed the Rubicon in 2022 by seizing Russian assets at the Federal Reserve and… pic.twitter.com/Y8OwJROw9W
“With the US dollar increasingly being used as a political lever –particularly in tariffed economies– other nations are actively exploring alternatives. Indeed, many countries around the world, including China and Russia, are already using Bitcoin as an alternative for trading in commodities and energy, for example. This trend is only going to accelerate as digital assets become a more prominent part of the global economy,” Puckrin told BeInCrypto.
According to Puckrin’s analysis of these indicators, China’s “shadow crypto economy” is projected to expand this year, which could result in a reassertion of its power. This resurgence would be primarily in response to de-dollarization efforts, rather than a reaction to US dominance in mining.
“We’ll likely see this activity ramping up in the near future, especially as more countries use crypto to bypass dollar-dominated systems,” he concluded.
It will remain crucial to interpret China’s intentions, especially regarding cryptocurrency, by observing its actions rather than relying solely on its official statements.
Despite a wider correction in the crypto market, some altcoins are surging this week, with SPX, WBT, and HYPE leading the charge among top gainers. SPX has jumped over 100% in the past 30 days, solidifying its role as a major meme coin.
WhiteBIT Token (WBT) hit a new all-time high above $38, showing strong momentum despite a broader market pullback. Meanwhile, HYPE continues to dominate the perpetuals market, trading near record highs as its market cap pushes it into the crypto top 10.
SPX6900 (SPX)
SPX has been one of the standout performers among meme coins over the past month, with its price soaring nearly 102% in the last 30 days and another 28% just in the past week.
With a market cap of $1.34 billion and a 24-hour trading volume of $138 million, SPX has firmly established itself as a major player in the meme coin sector.
From a technical perspective, SPX’s EMA lines remain bullish, with short-term averages still above long-term ones—although the gap between them is starting to narrow.
This suggests some weakening in upward momentum, making the support level at $1.22 a key zone to watch. If that level breaks, price could retrace further toward $0.99 and potentially $0.90.
However, if bullish sentiment holds and volume picks up, SPX could retest and possibly break its resistance at $1.74, opening the door for another leg higher.
Whitebit Coin (WBT)
WhiteBIT Coin (WBT) defied the broader market downturn to set a new all-time high above $38, making it the top-performing coin of the day.
With a 13% gain in the last 24 hours and nearly 23.5% over the past week, WBT has shown notable resilience and strong investor interest despite overall market weakness.
Looking ahead, if bullish pressure continues and market conditions stabilize, WBT could target the psychological levels at $40 and potentially $45.
However, short-term caution remains warranted, as the nearest support at $32.22 will be key to maintaining the current uptrend. A break below that level could trigger further downside toward $30.86.
Hyperliquid (HYPE)
Hyperliquid’s native token, HYPE, has been trading near all-time highs over the past several days, currently hovering around $40 after briefly touching levels close to $44.
The token is up nearly 64% over the past 30 days, placing it among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market cap when excluding stablecoins and wrapped assets. This surge reflects Hyperliquid’s dominance in the perpetuals trading space, with the protocol now capturing 76.9% market share—up from 63.7% in December 2024.
From a technical standpoint, HYPE still shows strong bullish momentum, supported by its recent listing on Binance US and ongoing speculation around a potential Binance listing.
If the rally continues, the token could soon break above the $45 mark. However, if price starts to cool and the $38.2 support level is lost, a drop toward $32.63 becomes more likely.
