© 04-02 , 20:10

Solana Leads Surge in High-Leverage Futures Positioning as Bitcoin Participation Cools

TokenPost.ai

Leverage positioning among top crypto futures traders is increasingly diverging by asset, with Solana (SOL) standing out for an aggressive concentration in coin-margined longs while Bitcoin (BTC) shows signs of deleveraging and Ethereum (ETH) undergoes a notable reshuffle in collateral preferences.

Data tracking the futures activity of leading accounts—often used as a proxy for institutional and whale sentiment—shows BTC’s long exposure shifting away from dollar-margined contracts and taking on a slightly heavier tilt toward coin-backed leverage. The dollar-margined share of BTC long positions fell to 46.86%, down 1.45 percentage points from the end of last month, while the coin-margined portion edged up to 53.00%. The move suggests that, rather than adding net risk broadly, large traders are rotating how they finance exposure—potentially reflecting a preference to post crypto collateral during periods of steadier spot holdings.

ETH and SOL, by contrast, posted simultaneous increases across both collateral types, signaling more forceful long-building rather than a simple reallocation. ETH’s dollar-margined share rose by 0.74 percentage points and its coin-margined share climbed by 1.47 percentage points versus last month-end. SOL saw a larger lift, with dollar-margined exposure up 2.13 percentage points and coin-margined exposure up 2.84 percentage points. Most notably, SOL’s coin-margined portion moved above 80%, placing it in what many derivatives desks would characterize as a higher-risk, higher-leverage zone.

Dogecoin (DOGE) moved in the opposite direction. Both dollar- and coin-margined long positioning declined, pointing to a broad pullback in exposure rather than a change in collateral strategy. In market terms, that type of contraction tends to be associated with reduced conviction, lower tactical interest, or capital being redeployed into higher-momentum contracts elsewhere.

Account-level metrics reinforced the split in risk appetite. BTC’s presence across long-holding accounts shrank on both sides: dollar-margined participation fell to 63.52%—down 3.13 percentage points—while coin-margined participation dipped a further 0.82 percentage points. That pattern indicates the BTC shift is not merely notional rebalancing by a few large wallets, but a broader cooling of leveraged participation among top accounts.

ETH’s account data, meanwhile, pointed to a collateral ‘restructuring’ rather than a clear exit. Dollar-margined participation dropped sharply by 10.05 percentage points, yet coin-margined participation held around the 77% level, indicating that traders may be maintaining directional exposure while changing the margin mix—often a sign of adapting to funding costs, basis conditions, or collateral efficiency in a given venue.