Solana Whale Harvests $153M Profit After 4-Year Staking Venture

A shrewd Solana investor, holding over 1 million SOL tokens, has recently cashed in on a remarkable four-year staking strategy, realizing profits exceeding $153 million. Blockchain analytics firm Lookonchain reported that this whale initially staked their SOL in 2021 when the token was valued at approximately $27. This initial investment totaled around $27 million.

Fast forward to 2025, and the whale’s holdings have grown to 1.29 million SOL, with the token’s price surging to roughly $140. This translates to a portfolio worth approximately $180 million. Starting on April 22nd, the whale began liquidating a portion of their assets, transferring 100,000 SOL (approximately $14 million) to Binance – a move often interpreted as a precursor to selling.

Despite this substantial withdrawal, the whale still retains 1.19 million SOL, currently valued at around $166 million. Subtracting the initial investment, the unrealized profit remains substantial at approximately $153 million. This showcases the immense potential, but also risk, involved in long-term cryptocurrency staking.

Solana’s Staking Market Dominance

This significant Solana staking success follows another notable event in April where four wallets, having initially staked $37 million in 2021, saw their holdings unlock, reaching a value of over $206 million. Around $50 million worth of these unlocked tokens were subsequently sold, highlighting the volatility and lucrative opportunities within the Solana ecosystem.

The surge in Solana staking activity even led to a brief period where Solana surpassed Ethereum in staked token market capitalization, reaching over $53 billion before Ethereum reclaimed its position. This event sparked debate within the community regarding its implications for the future price of Solana.

Related: Babylon TVL Drops 32% as Wallets Unstake $1.2B in Bitcoin