The crypto market opened 2026 with renewed attention on Solana. Social data from Santiment placed SOL accumulation at the top of New Year’s Day trends as the ecosystem faces high activity.
According to data shared by the on-chain data analysis platform, Solana-linked tokens are experiencing significant demand. The data highlights a resurgence in confidence across tokens on the Solana ecosystem, despite the ongoing price weakness.
Whale Accumulation Signals Renewed Solana Interest
Santiment data showed repeated purchases of 10 or more SOL by large wallets. These transactions appeared across multiple Solana-related assets rather than a single token. That pattern strengthened the narrative around coordinated accumulation.
🥳 Happy New Year to all supporters, enthusiasts, traders, and analysts of crypto! As 2026 begins across the world, these are the top trending topics across social media:
💸 Heavy SOL Buying: Heavy buying activity is occurring across multiple SOL-related tokens, with several… pic.twitter.com/LIMDIj85Cu
— Santiment (@santimentfeed) January 1, 2026
Market capitalizations for the tracked assets varied widely. Liquidity stayed strong across the board. That combination suggested sustained participation from experienced market players rather than short-term speculation.
Santiment’s behavioral heuristic scores sat around 70%. This indicator shows the confidence of active investors. Large wallets continued buying even as SOL struggled during the final quarter of 2025.
Solana lost roughly 46% over the past three months. However, the whale behavior has indicated hopes of a recovery with traders positioning early.
Factors Set to Shape Crypto in 2026; Santiment
Crypto discussion extended beyond Solana on New Year’s Day. New York City drew attention after newly elected mayor Zohran Mamdani took office. His Quran oath created a worldwide debate on politics and culture.
Bitcoin hoarding also came back to the limelight. Further BTC purchases by strategy split the market. While some investors hailed the long-term belief by the firm, even in the face of recent volatility, others questioned balance-sheet exposure.
The sudden BTC fluctuations in 2025 increased concerns as the debate illuminated the continuous conflict between aggressive treasury policies and financial risk management.
Traditional finance also added another layer. Warren Buffett formally exited Berkshire Hathaway after more than sixty years. His departure reignited discussion around legacy investing philosophies and digital assets.
Reports highlighted that the new leadership at the firm is taking a softer position on Bitcoin. This change promoted future institutional positioning speculation.
What’s Next for Solana?
According to the daily chart on TradingView, Solana (SOL) was trading at $125.29 as of the time of this writing. While the coin has been on a broader downward trend, the price is seemingly stabilizing.
SOL has been range-bound between $119.58 and $129.35 since December 15, 2025. With the price now sitting in the middle of the consolidation zone, a clear trend either downwards or upwards could be decisive.
A move past the $129.29 resistance is crucial for a strong Solana recovery in 2026. Failure to breach this level, however, could trigger a drawdown towards the support at $119.58. Moving forward, traders must monitor the Solana price action for a clear trend.
