Rich by Coin

Solana on-chain analytics offer signals that often foreshadow price moves, according to a February 2026 paper from Nansen. The methodology identifies patterns and behavior signals that can unfold over hours to days, rather than relying solely on traditional charting. Solana’s blockchain has rich and dynamic data on active wallets, averaging 3.2 million addresses, and recorded transactions totaling over 116 billion in 2025. Smart money patterns across wallets can be a powerful early indicator, with analytics tagging millions of addresses by past performance and showing where big players are putting their money.

If many smart-money wallets buy the same token, especially those tiny, low-cap ones, it usually signals that they see something before the rest of the crowd. Nansen, for example, says to watch for five or more smart wallets scooping up a token over a week. When you notice that cluster, that’s your cue to jump in. You get out when those wallets stop buying or start sending their tokens to exchanges, which often means they’re getting ready to sell.

Traders pay attention to exchange flow—the movement of tokens into and out of exchange wallets. When tokens move to private wallets, sell-side liquidity is reduced, which flows out and may indicate off-exchange accumulation during price consolidation. Nansen suggests establishing a baseline for exchange balances and then observing a 10% or greater decrease within a few days as a signal to trade, particularly if the price is flat. Traders generally take profit when exchanges refill, or smart money wallets begin to sell.

Solana sees new tokens pop up all the time, which is exciting but risky. Instead of jumping in blind, smart traders turn to on-chain analytics to see who’s actually holding these new tokens and whether smart money is involved. Using Nansen, researchers can inspect the first 72 hours after a token launches, looking for wallets tagged as smart money among the top holders and for a widely distributed supply. If the top 10 wallets control less than 40% of the tokens, that’s a good sign that the distribution isn’t overly skewed.