Although the altcoin market cap has not recovered and market sentiment remains in a prolonged state of fear, several low-cap altcoins with market caps under $100 million have shown signs of on-chain accumulation.
This may reflect whales building positions and betting on price increases next month.
1. Avantis (AVNT)
Avantis (AVNT) is a DEX token on Base, with a market capitalization of approximately $89 million. The price of AVNT has fallen more than 85% from the October breakout phase.
However, by December, the downtrend shifted to a sideways range around $0.30. The token has also shown signs of accumulation.
Accumulated Balance of AVNT Whales. Source: Nansen
Nansen data shows that AVNT whale wallets accumulated 11 million AVNT in December. The total balance of the top 100 wallets increased by 1.88%, while exchange reserves decreased by 4.9%.
Rising whale balances and declining exchange reserves typically indicate that investors are buying and moving tokens to private wallets, driven by long-term expectations.
Holderscan data also shows that the number of AVNT holders increased from 105,800 to 109,800 over the past 30 days.
From a technical analysis perspective, analysts believe AVNT may be in the final stage of a falling-wedge formation. This pattern typically predicts a reversal from bearish to bullish.
2. Succinct (PROVE)
Succinct (PROVE) is a decentralized network designed to facilitate the creation of zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) easily and securely.
Privacy on blockchain has gained attention thanks to Zcash (ZEC) and the broader use of ZKP technology. This trend has also drawn attention to Succinct.
The market cap of PROVE currently stands at $75.6 million. The price has dropped more than 77% after listings on Binance and Coinbase.
Accumulated Balance of PROVE Whales. Source: Nansen
In recent months, Nansen data shows that top whale wallets accumulated an additional 5.34%. Exchange reserves dropped 1.24%. At the same time, the price decline of PROVE has slowed.
A slower price decline, combined with whale accumulation, has increased investor expectations of a potential rebound.
3. Plume Network (PLUME)
Plume Network (PLUME) is an Ethereum layer-2 blockchain designed specifically for Real-World Assets (RWA).
The market cap of PLUME is currently $60 million, following an 85% decline in the token price during the final quarter of the year.
However, Nansen data shows a notable shift. PLUME whales have accumulated nearly 7 billion PLUME. The price has also recovered 35%, rising from $0.014 to $0.019.
Accumulated Balance of PLUME Whales. Source: Nansen
This accumulation has halted the three-month downtrend.
Another reason investors remain optimistic about RWA altcoins is the strong growth outlook for the sector in 2026.
A recent BeInCrypto report states that the total RWA market value hit a new all-time high in December, despite widespread market fear.
When discussing expectations for RWA in 2026, Plume CEO Chris Yin projected 10–20x growth in both value and users.
“Seeing 10–20x growth in value and users next year as well is the low end of what we should expect,” Chris Yin told BeInCrypto.
If this projection becomes reality, low-cap tokens such as PLUME may benefit significantly.
These three low-cap altcoins represent three different themes: DEX, Privacy, and RWA. All three themes hold strong expectations from analysts for the year ahead.
