<p>Lighter and Mantle whales hit six-month records: what is behind the surge in activity?</p>

Large holders, or "whales," have become active again in the Lighter (LIT) and Mantle (MNT) ecosystems. According to on-chain analytics, both networks have recorded the highest level of large transactions in the last six months. This is a signal that cannot be ignored: institutional interest in altcoins is growing amid market volatility.

Lighter: Tokenomics Worked

According to Santiment data, the number of LIT transactions exceeding $100,000 reached 86—an absolute high since the start of the year. The surge coincided with a sharp price increase: the token rose 37.9% over the week, reaching $2.6—a high since January.

The reason is not just market conditions. The project revised its tokenomics: it introduced a burning mechanism that reduces the total supply and launched staking with a 6% annual yield from a pool of 250 million LIT. These fundamental changes, not speculation, attracted whale attention. Perp DEX, buybacks, and new partnerships are what drive this growth.

Mantle: Betting on RWA

The Mantle network also shows abnormal activity: 37 MNT transactions exceeding $100,000 over the same period. Analysts link this to the growth of the tokenized real-world assets (RWA) segment.

In the first half of the year, the Mantle ecosystem posted record results: the total value locked (TVL) in DeFi exceeded $1 billion, of which $90 million came from RWA solutions. Stablecoin market capitalization reached $955 million, up 120% year-over-year. The network now supports 155 tokenized stocks and manages a treasury of $1.8 billion.

However, the MNT price has yet to reflect this fundamental growth: the token lost 2% over the day to $0.431, though it gained 1.4% over the week. The market remains cautious.

My analysis: The surge in whale activity is no coincidence. Lighter and Mantle show how sound tokenomics and a focus on real assets attract "smart money." However, while LIT has already priced in the news, MNT may be undervalued—provided the overall market does not enter a correction. Keep an eye on on-chain data: whales are rarely wrong.