Chainlink's army of 535K mini‑wallets stages a quiet coup while LINK tiptoes past $7.9 📈

Chainlink's retail footprint has quietly expanded to a level not seen since December 2022, with non‑micro wallets holding at least 1 LINK climbing to 535,000, according to Santiment. The growth in standard‑sized wallets has occurred against a backdrop of broad crypto market weakness, and the network's total holder count has also continued to rise through 2026, reaching a year‑to‑date high of 879,000 at press time.

Network participation has accelerated in parallel. Chainlink's 30‑day Active Addresses have averaged roughly 570,000, a sharp increase from 50,000 in April, indicating a higher volume of users transacting on the network. Santiment data also shows that the rise in wallet counts has coincided with steady accumulation across market participants, metrics that have historically been associated with stronger network fundamentals.

On the price side, LINK rebounded after slipping below $7 and touching $6.90, climbing to a local high of $8.10 before settling at $7.9 at the time of writing, up 1.8% on the daily chart. The token's Stochastic Momentum Index formed a bullish crossover and rose to -32, signaling a recovery in upward momentum, while the 9‑day moving average sits at $8.04, a level LINK is currently testing.

A close above the 9‑day moving average would confirm renewed demand and trend strength, with $8.7 identified as the next short‑term target and $9 as medium‑term resistance. The SMI remains in negative territory at -32, indicating that bullish pressure is still building rather than fully established. If momentum fails to hold, LINK risks revisiting the sub‑$7 zone.