How to Use Nansen’s Smart Money Labels
Nansen's "Smart Money" labels help you discover "who is buying and who is selling" – they are not meant for blindly copying trades. The label system covers top traders across different time frames, funds, and various niche experts. The core use cases are filtering, tracking, and validating, not simply copy-pasting an address and calling it a day.
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Step 1: Understand the Label Categories – Pick the Right "Smart Money" to Follow
First, figure out what each label represents; otherwise you'll end up tailing the wrong players. Nansen's Smart Money labels are less about "the bigger, the better" and more about "using the right label for the right scenario."
Choose by Time Horizon (EVM chains)
30D Smart Trader: Addresses ranked by profitability over the past 30 days, around 200 addresses. Best for catching short-term momentum and hot narratives.
90D Smart Trader: Top profitability over the past 90 days, around 410 addresses. Useful for a short-to-medium-term reference.
180D Smart Trader: Top profitability over the past 180 days, around 600 addresses. More stable than the 30-day label.
Smart Trader (2Y) / All-Time Smart Trader: Addresses ranked by profitability over two years or all-time, around 850 addresses. Verified long-term performers, suitable for longer-term reference.
Short-term labels (30D) are more sensitive to market swings and fit shorter time frames; long-term labels (All-Time) are steadier but react more slowly.
Choose by Entity Type (EVM + Solana)
Smart Fund: Addresses of crypto funds, VCs, and hedge funds that meet Nansen's criteria. These don't chase short-term moonshots; their moves are usually backed by research, making them a better "big picture" reference.
Other Smart Money Labels (retired but still usable): Includes First Mover LP/Staking (first to enter a pool), Airdrop Pro (airdrop specialist), Private Sale Investor (private round investor), etc. Good for spotting early-stage projects.
Choose by Sector (New Labels)
Nansen recently added the Sector Specialist series, including AI Specialist, Memecoin Specialist, Gaming Specialist, RWA Specialist, as well as Chain Specialist broken down by chain. If you focus on a single sector or chain, using these labels directly reduces noise significantly.
When is this step done? You know whether you're tracking "short-term whizzes" or "long-term funds," and that choice matches your investment approach.
Step 2: Use Filters to Narrow Down Target Addresses
Nansen's Smart Money dashboard is the core entry point – you need to know how to use its filters.
Go to Nansen's Smart Money dashboard.
Check the labels you need (you can select multiple, e.g., "Fund" and "180D Smart Trader" at the same time).
Sort by dimensions like "Net Inflow/Outflow" or "Holding Value" to find the addresses with the most recent activity.
Cross-chain scenario: If you are looking at Solana or other non-EVM chains, some labels (like Smart Fund) support both EVM and Solana, but double-check that the label covers your target chain.
When is this step done? You've compiled a list of addresses that meet your criteria, not just staring at one address.
Step 3: Use Token Screener to Spot Early Signals
After narrowing down target addresses, the next step is to look for signals at the token level.
Nansen's Token Screener lets you sort by Smart Money % Inflows. A good starting point: prioritize tokens with liquidity above $1 million, then check if smart money inflows account for 20%–30% or more.
Time-window tips: For newly launched tokens, set the time range to 5 or 10 minutes to capture real-time smart money moves. Use market cap filters such as $0–$10 million (Micro Cap) or $10 million–$50 million (Small Cap) to surface early opportunities.
When is this step done? You've identified a token with sustained smart money inflows that hasn't yet drawn widespread market attention.
Step 4: Set Up Smart Alerts – Turn "Checking Data" into "Waiting for Notifications"
Manually refreshing dashboards is too inefficient. Nansen lets you configure Smart Alerts that push custom conditions to you via Telegram, Discord, or Slack.
Recommended setups:
Token Transfer type: Monitor large single transfers from the smart money addresses you follow (suggested threshold: $50,000–$100,000 or above).
SM Token Flows type: Track anomalous token flows, such as net inflows exceeding $25,000 in one hour or $100,000 in 24 hours.
Token AI Signals type: Leverage Nansen's AI signals to trigger alerts when Smart Money Token Flow flags appear.
Create separate notification channels for different use cases (e.g., #alpha-feed and #whale-moves) to avoid information overload.
When is this step done? You have at least one alert rule set up that proactively pushes notifications, so you no longer need to manually refresh dashboards every day.
Step 5: Cross-Validate – Don't Blindly Copy Trades
Smart Money labels are essentially a quantitative measure of past performance; they do not guarantee future results. Always cross-validate.
Three dimensions to verify:
Compare inflow directions: If multiple smart money addresses are continuously buying a token but the price hasn't moved – or has even fallen – they may be building a position on the left side of the curve, or you might be missing sell signals.
Check holding time: If a smart money address sells within 1–2 days of building a position, they are likely executing a short-term trade or grid strategy, not a bullish signal.
Watch for "Exit Liquidity" labels: Nansen has a label called Exit Liquidity – addresses that consistently buy at the top. If you see both Smart Money buying and Exit Liquidity buying in the same token, be extra cautious.
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How to Confirm You're Using It Correctly
After completing the steps above, you should be able to answer three questions: What type of Smart Money am I tracking? (time frame/entity type) What are their recent moves? (inflow/outflow direction) Does this action align with the current price level? (chasing highs or accumulating at lows). If you can clearly address these three points, you are using the label system with direction – not blindly copying trades.
