The following is a writeup by inPlanB on what he’s seeing recently with 24HR, 7D and 30D Smart Money flows using Nansen 

Disclaimer - These are merely observations and none of this should be construed as financial advice

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How Is Smart Money Defined?

According to Nansen, Smart Money refers to the most successful onchain traders.

But what deems a trader successful?

Smart Money Labels: 

• 30D Smart Trader: Top-ranked wallets by PnL in past 30 days

• 90D Smart Trader: Top-ranked wallets by PnL in past 90 days

• 180D Smart Trader: Top-ranked wallets by PnL in past 180 days

• Smart Fund: Crypto fund meeting Nansen’s Smart Fund criteria: Venture capital firms; Hedge funds; Liquid crypto funds; Institutional investors

Here’s a recent blog directly from Nansen

Disclaimer - These are merely observations and none of this should be construed as financial advice

Chains Reviewed: Ethereum, Solana, Base and BNBchain

24H Smart Money Flows

7D Smart Money Flows

30D Smart Money Flows

Tracking The Smart Money Using Nansen - October 7

The crypto market is showing serious strength today with BTC hitting a new all-time high of $125.8k and ETH reclaiming $4,700. While everyone celebrates the majors, smart money is quietly accumulating select altcoins across Ethereum, Solana, BSC, and Base.

The most interesting activity is happening on Ethereum and BSC, where institutional-grade DeFi protocols are seeing massive inflows. After analyzing Nansen's smart money flow data across 24H, 7D, and 30D timeframes, I've identified 5 tokens with the most consistent accumulation patterns that deserve your attention.

1. Maple Finance ($SYRUP, Ethereum)

Smart money poured $2.2M into SYRUP over the past 7 days, with exchange outflow of -$2.3M (tokens leaving exchanges, bullish signal).

What Makes Maple Finance Different

Maple Finance is building institutional-grade credit infrastructure onchain. The protocol connects institutional borrowers with lenders, offering real-world yields backed by legal agreements. Think of it as bringing traditional credit markets to DeFi, but with transparency and efficiency that TradFi can't match.

Core Innovation:

• Overcollateralized lending to vetted institutions

• Real legal agreements backing onchain loans

• Professional pool delegates managing credit risk

• Yields from real business activity, not token emissions

Market Position: Maple has originated over $2 billion in loans to date and survived the market downturn that took down many competitors. They're backed by Framework Ventures, Polychain Capital, and other tier-1 VCs.

(From Nomatic: We’ve written extensively about SYRUP in our Tokens on our Radar piece - up 4.19x since we first wrote it up)

The Market Data

Current Price: $0.42 | Market Cap: $470.8M | 24h Volume: $522k | 7-day Performance: +7.5%

Flow Intelligence

Smart money is making a serious bet here.

Over the past week, smart traders added $2.2M while top PnL traders dumped (-$561k), suggesting early smart money is front-running the next move. Fresh wallets brought in $127k, showing new interest building.

The most bullish signal? Exchange outflows of -$2.3M mean tokens are moving from exchanges to wallets. That's typically a sign holders are settling in for the long haul rather than looking to quick flip.

Bottom Line

$SYRUP represents a play on institutional DeFi adoption. Smart money accumulation combined with massive exchange outflows suggests positioning for something bigger. The relatively small market cap leaves room for growth as institutional lending onchain gains traction.

We know syrupBTC is coming soon, but we could be getting more news on whether or not syrupUSDC is about to get approaved on Aave 👀 (just a hunch).

We have covered $SYRUP before, and the fact that we are mentioning again… you should pay attention.

2. Chainlink ($LINK, Ethereum)

Smart traders accumulated $631.25K worth of $LINK in 7D and $1.78M over 30D - one of the most consistent accumulation patterns across all timeframes.

Project's Core Innovation

Chainlink remains the undisputed leader in oracle services, providing real-world data to smart contracts. With CCIP (Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol) and Functions expanding its capabilities beyond simple price feeds, $LINK is further cementing itself as critical Web3 infrastructure.

What Makes It Different

• 95% Oracle Market Dominance: Powers nearly every major DeFi protocol

• CCIP Launch: Cross-chain messaging opening new revenue streams

• Banking Adoption: SWIFT, DTCC partnerships bringing institutional credibility

• Staking v0.2: Economic security model creating new token utility

Market Position and Backing

• $75+ billion in transaction value secured

• 1,800+ project integrations

• Partnerships with Google Cloud, AWS, and major banks

The Market Data

Current Price: $23.39 | Market Cap: $15.8B | FDV: $23.4B | 24h Volume: $1.2B

Flow Intelligence

The flow patterns show methodical accumulation. Smart money added $631k over 7D but the 30D figure of $1.78M reveals sustained buying. With only 10 smart traders involved, each wallet is taking significant positions averaging $178k. The 95% position retention rate is exceptional - these aren't traders, they're investors. Volume of $1.2B daily provides ample liquidity for institutional-sized positions.

Bottom Line

$LINK's accumulation pattern suggests smart money sees value at current levels. With major protocol upgrades and institutional partnerships materializing, the consistent buying across all timeframes signals conviction in the oracle thesis. Research the upcoming staking economics changes.

3. Aave ($AAVE, Ethereum)

11 smart money wallets accumulated $606.3K of AAVE over 7D, with the protocol showing strong fundamentals at $46.2B TVL.

Project's Core Innovation

AAVE popularized flash loans and continues innovating with GHO stablecoin, institutional products (Aave Arc, Horizon), and cross-chain lending markets. It's the largest lending protocol by TVL and consistently profitable.

What Makes It Different

• $46.2B TVL: Largest DeFi lending protocol

• Multi-chain Dominance: Leading on 18 chains

• GHO Stablecoin: Protocol-native stablecoin generating additional revenue

• Institutional Products: Aave Arc for permissioned lending

• Horizon RWA instance: $180M in market size

Market Position and Backing

• $3.08M in daily fees (per DefiLlama)

• Profitable with ongoing token buybacks

• Survived multiple market cycles without major exploits

The Market Data

Current Price: $299 | Market Cap: $4.56B | FDV: $4.56B | 24h Volume: $692M

Flow Intelligence

Smart money flows show strategic accumulation with $606k over 7D. The 30D flow of $196k suggests recent acceleration in buying. With 11 active smart wallets and 92% position retention, we're seeing conviction buying. The protocol earned $21.34 million in fees over 7 days, which helps support the token's value.

Bottom Line

AAVE represents the "safe" DeFi play with proven fundamentals. Smart money accumulation at these levels, combined with strong protocol metrics, suggests value recognition. The upcoming GHO expansion, Aave V4 and institutional adoption could be catalysts worth monitoring.

4. Cypherhq ($CYPR, Base)

Despite a -12.8% price drop, smart money accumulated $127.17K of $CYPR across all timeframes, showing consistent flows of $28.4K (24h), $127.17K (7D), and $127.17K (30D).

Project's Core Innovation

Cypher is building payment infrastructure on Base. The project focuses on simplifying crypto payments for mainstream adoption, leveraging Base's low fees and Coinbase's distribution potential.

What Makes It Different

• Base Chain Advantage: Direct integration potential with Coinbase's 100M+ users

• Payment Focus: Not another DeFi fork, solving real payment problems

• Early Mover: One of the first payment protocols on Base

Market Position and Backing

• 139 days old - established but still early

• Building on the fastest-growing L2 (Base)

• Small market cap with significant upside potential

The Market Data

Current Price: $0.18 | Market Cap: $27.45M | FDV: $27.45M | 24h Volume: $6.5M

Flow Intelligence

The flow data reveals contrarian accumulation. Smart money added $28.4k in 24h, maintaining the $127k level from both 7D and 30D periods - showing sustained interest. With 11 active smart wallets and 85% position retention despite the price drop, this looks like strategic accumulation during fear. The high volume relative to market cap (24% daily) provides liquidity for both entries and exits.

Bottom Line

$CYPR presents a high-risk, high-reward opportunity. Smart money buying into a -12.8% dump signals either catching a falling knife or recognizing oversold conditions. The Base ecosystem catalyst and payment infrastructure narrative make this worth researching, especially at a $27M valuation.

5. Four ($FORM, BSC)

FORM shows the most consistent accumulation pattern with positive flows across ALL timeframes: $36.8K (24h), $63.9K (7D), and $64K (30D).

Project's Core Innovation

FORM is building GameFi infrastructure on BSC, focusing on interoperable gaming assets and cross-game economies. The protocol enables true asset ownership and transferability across different gaming ecosystems.

What Makes It Different

• Interoperable Gaming Assets: Items work across multiple games

• Player-Owned Economy: True ownership of in-game assets

• BSC Advantage: Low fees for gaming transactions

Market Position and Backing

• 224 days old - proven staying power

• $431M market cap - room for growth in GameFi sector

• Consistent development and partnerships

The Market Data

Current Price: $1.13 | Market Cap: $431.18M | FDV: $431.18M | 24h Volume: $1.9M

Flow Intelligence

FORM displays textbook accumulation with flows increasing each timeframe: $36.8k (24h), $63.9k (7D), $64k (30D). Only 2 smart money wallets are involved but they're showing 100% position retention. Top PnL traders added $153k in 24h while exchanges saw $10.8M in inflows. Fresh wallets contributed $1.1M, indicating new money entering.

Bottom Line

FORM's consistent accumulation pattern across all timeframes seems bullish. A GameFi sector revival and BSC ecosystem growth could provide tailwinds. If you’re curious you should look into the new game partnerships and ecosystem changes. It's important to see if the current BSC activities are just temporary and if GameFi can actually show any real traction.

Final Thoughts: Track the Trail of Smart Money

The data reveals three clear trends:

1. Institutional DeFi Revival - SYRUP's $2.16M inflow and AAVE's accumulation suggest smart money sees DeFi's next leg up coming from institutional adoption

2. Infrastructure Plays - LINK's massive 30D accumulation and CYPR's contrarian buying show conviction in critical Web3 infrastructure

3. Consistent Accumulation Patterns - FORM's steady flows across all timeframes demonstrate the kind of systematic buying that often precedes major moves

Remember: This analysis tracks where sophisticated capital is flowing, not investment advice. Smart money earned that label through consistent outperformance, but they're not infallible. Use this as a starting point for your own research, not an ending point for your investment decisions.

All of the Smart Money information in this article can be obtained via Nansen’s “Pioneer Plan” - If you’d like to use this yourself you can get 10% off a Subscription with our referral link: https://nsn.ai/EDGE

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