Altcoin exchange deposits hit highest level since October 2025

Altcoin exchange deposits have reached their highest transaction count since October 2025, according to CryptoQuant, which warned that holders may be preparing to sell.

Key points:

Altcoin exchange deposits reached a seven-day total of 78,000 transactions on Sept. 28, marking their highest count since October 2025.

The number of addresses sending altcoins to exchanges reached around 51,600, also its highest tally in nearly a year.

Bitcoin’s share of total crypto market capitalization stayed in a range it entered in late May.

Altcoin exchange inflows hit highest levels since October 2025

In its latest weekly report released on Tuesday, onchain analytics platform CryptoQuant flagged a surge in exchange deposits involving altcoins.

The seven-day count of altcoin deposit transactions on exchanges tracked by the platform reached 78,000 on Sept. 28. That was up about 160% from around 29,800 on Sept. 14.

“Altcoin exchange inflows have exploded to their highest levels since Bitcoin’s last all-time high,” CryptoQuant noted.

Between Sept. 14 and Sept. 28, the number of addresses depositing altcoins to exchanges almost tripled from around 17,600 to 51,600.

CryptoQuant said the address count also reached its highest level since October 2025. It described the increase in exchange inflows as broad-based.

“When holders move coins to exchanges, they usually intend to sell,” it added.

Bitcoin (BTC) has pulled back since briefly topping $87,000 last week for the first time since January. As Cointelegraph reported, shifts in exchange order-book liquidity, as well as long-term holder supply, have been cited as potential obstacles to further short-term gains.

Smaller altcoins’ market share hits highest level since February

The increase in exchange deposits follows recent signs of altcoin outperformance against Bitcoin.

Last week, Glassnode’s dedicated Altcoin Cycle Signal metric favored altcoins over Bitcoin. The metric uses price data for the 250 largest altcoins by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins.

Bitcoin’s share of total crypto market cap, meanwhile, stood below 60%. Since May 27, Bitcoin dominance has stayed between 58% and 60.4%, according to data from TradingView.

Crypto assets outside the top 10 by market cap accounted for 9% of the total on Sept. 27, their highest share since February.