Wall Street Bitcoin ETF Frenzy Hits $3.85B in Record Inflows

Institutional investors are fueling unprecedented demand for spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, pushing total inflows to a record-breaking $3.85 billion last week, according to a report from CoinShares on Monday.

BlackRock Dominates the Market

Leading the charge is BlackRock’s iShares ETFs, which contributed $3.2 billion of last week’s inflows, bringing BlackRock’s total crypto assets under management to a staggering $56.7 billion.

Meanwhile, Ethereum investment products set their own record with inflows reaching $1.2 billion, surpassing the activity seen when the SEC approved U.S. spot ETH ETFs in July.

The U.S. remains the epicenter of institutional crypto activity, capturing $3.6 billion of the total inflows. In distant second was Switzerland with $160 million, followed by Germany, Canada, and Australia.

Institutional Titans Now Hold More Bitcoin Than Anyone

The booming ETF market has shifted power dynamics in Bitcoin ownership. Last week, it was confirmed that Wall Street ETF issuers now hold more Bitcoin than the crypto’s mysterious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto.

The total market cap for Bitcoin ETFs now stands at $109 billion, surpassing the combined holdings of MicroStrategy—the largest corporate Bitcoin holder—and Binance, the leading crypto exchange by trading volume.

Selloffs by Long-Term Holders Cap Bitcoin’s Price

Despite massive institutional inflows, long-term Bitcoin holders have been selling, offloading 827,783 BTC in the past month, according to CryptoQuant.

This activity has kept Bitcoin’s price from maintaining its momentum above the historic $100,000 mark, which it first reached last week. As of writing, BTC is hovering around $97,000.

Trump’s Pro-Crypto Stance Fuels Optimism

The surge in institutional interest coincides with President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the spotlight, driven by his pro-Bitcoin policies and plans for crypto regulation. Trump’s recent appointments of a crypto czar—entrepreneur David Sacks—and Paul Atkins to lead the SEC are seen as major wins for the industry.

“Trump has made cryptocurrencies respectable,” said financial commentator Chris Skinner. “ETFs will blossom over the next four years, as will the entire cryptocurrency sector.”

Analysts are now speculating on the potential approval of ETFs for smaller cryptocurrencies like XRP and Solana, further boosting the market.

Wall Street’s embrace of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs signals the institutionalization of crypto, a trend that was once unthinkable for libertarian Bitcoin purists but is now seen as inevitable. With record inflows, shifting ownership dynamics, and a pro-crypto administration on the horizon, the next few years could see unprecedented growth for digital assets.