- Bitcoin ETFs see $210M inflows, showcasing their growing appeal to institutional investors.
- Ethereum ETFs face continued outflows, highlighting contrasting market sentiment.
- With iShares Bitcoin Trust adding 1,250 BTC last week, BlackRock maintains its dominance.
Institutional investors are increasingly favoring Bitcoin ETFs, as evidenced by significant inflows led by BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust. In contrast, Ethereum ETFs face persistent challenges with net outflows, reflecting a stark divergence in demand.
Bitcoin ETFs Attract Major Institutional Attention
Institutional interest in Bitcoin exchange-traded funds. (ETFs) is surging, with net inflows of 2,013 BTC, equivalent to $210.67 million. Ethereum ETFs, however, continue to face challenges, showing a net outflow of 1,002 ETH, as per Lookonchain data.
Leading the way with 633,212 BTC valued at $66.28 billion is BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust, which has added 1,250 BTC to its holdings. In contrast, the Grayscale Ethereum Trust had significant withdrawals of 6,640 ETH, reducing its total assets to 1,122,295 ETH, or $2.76 billion.
Other Bitcoin ETFs are contributing to this flood trend. Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund recorded a weekly exit of 1,178 Bitcoin, despite daily inflows of 655 Bitcoin. The Bitwise Bitcoin Fund and the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF are two smaller funds that contributed 147 and 559 bitcoin, respectively. These trends show Bitcoin’s consistent appeal to institutional investors while emphasizing Ethereum’s persistent problems.
BlackRock’s Dominance in Bitcoin ETFs
BlackRock has cemented its position as a dominant force in the cryptocurrency market. Data from Arkham reveals that the iShares Bitcoin Trust has been acquiring Bitcoin at an average daily rate exceeding $100 million since its launch. This robust strategy aligns with BlackRock’s larger financial market ambitions, with crypto holdings managed securely via Coinbase Prime.
Ethereum ETFs present a very different scenario. In the past week, BlackRock’s Ethereum ETF has only contributed 25,427 ETH, with daily inflows as low as 4 ETH. This consistent pace suggests a more careful approach to investment than the quick activity of Bitcoin ETFs.
Macro Trends: Bitcoin vs. Ethereum ETFs
Collectively, Bitcoin ETFs handle 1,179,386 BTC, or $32.43 billion, with a 7-day inflow of 5,218 BTC. In contrast, Ethereum ETFs managed 3,458,698 ETH, or $5.81 billion, but experienced a net inflow of 10,786 ETH, or $28.53 million, during the same time. Despite Bitcoin’s long-term worth, Ethereum is still associated with short-term or speculative investing strategies, as this disparity demonstrates.
Smaller ETFs show mixed results. The Valkyrie Bitcoin Fund experienced a slight daily outflow of 7 BTC, whereas the Invesco Galaxy Bitcoin ETF gained 32 BTC. Among Ethereum ETFs, funds managed by Bitwise and Fidelity reported minimal inflows, indicating subdued demand relative to Bitcoin ETFs.
Institutional Portfolios: A Heavy Tilt Toward Bitcoin
Institutional portfolios reveal a strong preference for Bitcoin, which comprises 95.56% of total crypto ETF holdings, compared to Ethereum’s 4.43%. Other assets like COLLE and SPX represent negligible portions. BlackRock’s crypto portfolio, valued at $68.86 billion, overwhelmingly favors Bitcoin, with holdings amounting to 632.512k BTC worth $65.82 billion.
Historical trends reinforce this bias. BlackRock’s Bitcoin holdings have grown steadily since February 2025, reaching 800,000 BTC by April. Ethereum’s performance, meanwhile, has been characterized by volatility. The first quarter of 2025 had a 45.41% drop in Ethereum ETFs, which was only somewhat offset by a 33.16% increase in Q2. This volatility stands in stark contrast to Bitcoin’s steady stability, which has cemented its position as the preferred option for institutional investors.
