Big Players Bet on $ZRO as LayerZero Launch Approaches

$ZRO, the native token of LayerZero’s “Zero” L1 chain, has seen significant accumulation from institutional wallets, signalling growing conviction ahead of a major unlock. Data from Nansen reveals that 18 wallets, all funded via Coinbase Prime, have amassed roughly $79.7 million in $ZRO, representing 3.78% of the total supply.

The $ZRO accumulation story has gotten more interesting

~18 wallets. ~$79.7M. 3.78% of total supply. All from Coinbase Prime.

Here’s what we found using Nansen Agent 🧵 pic.twitter.com/9lLipvaXjf

— Nansen 🧭 (@nansen_ai) March 24, 2026

$ZRO is trading around $1.97 ahead of a 25.71 million token unlock on March 20, 2026, causing short-term selling pressure. Despite this, whale accumulation and strong institutional backing suggest confidence in long-term value. LayerZero is launching Zero, a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain for institutional asset tokenization (RWAs and tokenized stocks), with support from Citadel Securities, Google Cloud, and ecosystem partners. The mainnet is planned for fall 2026, reinforcing $ZRO’s long-term growth potential.

Early wave shows coordinated large-scale buying

The first accumulation wave, from March 9–12, involved nine wallets moving $47.5 million, including notable positions in “ZRO Custody Vaults” (2.5M ZRO, ~$4.96M) and “ZRO Investment Recipient” (4.4M ZRO, ~$8.81M), the largest single allocation across all wallets. Transfers were executed with precision; some wallets received test transactions before main allocations, while eight wallets were funded within four hours on March 9. No tokens were sold during this period, and all wallets hold exclusively $ZRO.

Second wave signals strong conviction ahead of unlock

A second wave, from March 19–23, added $32 million across nine additional wallets, again funded via Coinbase Prime. The timing corresponds with the approaching $55 million token unlock on March 20, suggesting institutional players are positioning ahead of potential market movements. With average entry prices around $1.94 and zero sales so far, these coordinated moves indicate confidence in LayerZero’s upcoming launch and long-term token value.

Concentrated institutional accumulation often precedes price momentum, particularly around project milestones. Analysts will likely watch these wallets closely for early signs of activity or further buying pressure as the Zero chain launch approaches.

Meanwhile, LayerZero finalized a $110 million acquisition of cross-chain platform Stargate, following an intense, last-minute bidding battle that drew rare multi-protocol competition in the DeFi space.