Chainlink’s LINK token extended a month-long rally this week, climbing above $26 for the first time since January and outpacing both Bitcoin and Ether. The move briefly added roughly 8% on 19 August alone, putting the market-value of the oracle provider’s cryptocurrency on course for the psychologically significant $30 level highlighted by traders. On-chain metrics show the advance is underpinned by new participation and large-holder accumulation. Data from Santiment recorded almost 9,813 addresses transferring LINK on 17 August and more than 9,600 wallets created the following day, the highest readings of 2025. A single wallet pulled about 1.29 million tokens—worth $31 million—from Binance over four days, a pattern typically associated with long-term positioning. Derivatives activity has also intensified. CoinGlass figures put open interest in LINK futures at an all-time high of roughly $1.5 billion, a 60% increase since the start of the year, suggesting traders are wagering on further price appreciation. Sentiment has been buoyed by steady progress in Chainlink’s push to connect traditional finance with public blockchains. Company disclosures and partner statements show more than 30 institutions, including Swift, Visa, Mastercard, Citi, JPMorgan and BNY Mellon, are testing or piloting Chainlink’s data- and token-transfer services for tokenized assets and cross-chain settlements. Adding to the narrative, Chainlink on 21 August published an “Endgame” roadmap that positions the network as a unified platform for data, interoperability, compliance and privacy services. The update, coupled with heightened market activity, has reinforced expectations that LINK could retest last year’s highs if broader risk appetite holds.