The altcoin market has been shaken: over the past 24 hours, on-chain metrics have recorded a surge in large transactions for Lighter (LIT) and Mantle (MNT) tokens. The volume of transactions involving whales has reached its highest levels in the last six months, clearly signaling increased interest from institutional and wealthy participants in these assets.
Lighter: Tokenomics Reset Attracts Attention
According to data from the Santiment platform, the number of LIT transactions exceeding $100,000 soared to 86—an absolute record since the start of the year. The peak in activity coincided with a sharp rise in the token's price: on Monday, LIT jumped 20%, reaching the $2.6 mark—a high since January. Over the week, the gain was nearly 38%.
This dynamic is no coincidence. Last month, the Lighter team carried out a major tokenomics update, introducing a token burn mechanism that directly reduces the total supply of LIT. Additionally, staking conditions were revised: holders can now earn 6% annual interest from a pool of 250 million LIT. In my view, it is these fundamental improvements that triggered the whales—they are clearly betting on the project's long-term growth.
Mantle: Betting on Real-World Assets and DeFi
An equally telling picture is emerging for Mantle. Santiment recorded 37 large MNT transactions (each over $100,000), also a six-month high. Analysts link this surge to the rapid growth of the tokenized real-world assets (RWA) segment within the Mantle ecosystem.
According to the project's semi-annual report, the total value locked (TVL) in Mantle's DeFi sector exceeded a record $1 billion, of which $90 million came specifically from RWA solutions. The market capitalization of stablecoins on the platform also hit an all-time high, reaching $955 million (120% year-over-year growth). The network now supports 155 tokenized stocks, and the project's treasury exceeds $1.8 billion.
However, the price of MNT itself has yet to show a confident bullish momentum. Over the past day, the token fell 2% to $0.431, and over the month, it dropped approximately 11%. Nevertheless, a slight weekly increase of 1.4% was recorded.
My view: The awakening of whales in Lighter and Mantle is a clear signal to the market. Major players see fundamental changes and are preparing for the next cycle. If LIT continues to burn supply and Mantle expands its RWA ecosystem, we could witness a new rally. But for now, prices are fluctuating in line with the broader market, and the key question is whether the whales will maintain their sentiment after a short-term correction.