Connect with us
DAPA Banner

Crypto World

Crypto ETPs See $1.1B Inflows, Largest Since January

Published

on

Crypto Breaking News

Crypto investment products posted a decisive rebound last week, with global exchange-traded products (ETPs) drawing about $1.1 billion in inflows. Bitcoin led the charge, attracting roughly $871 million for the week, according to CoinShares’ weekly Digital Asset Fund Flows report. The week represented the strongest swing for crypto ETPs in 2026 aside from the mid-January surge of $2.17 billion inflows.

Ether’s ETPs also turned positive, logging about $196.5 million in inflows—the first weekly inflows after three straight weeks of outflows—while the regional flow pattern remained heavily skewed toward the United States, underscoring a clear appetite for regulated crypto exposure amid mixed macro signals.

Key takeaways

  • Total inflows for the week reached about $1.1 billion, with Bitcoin accounting for roughly $871 million and continuing to drive the bulk of new money into regulated crypto exposure.
  • Ether ETPs rebounded to about $196.5 million in inflows, yet Ether remains one of the few assets with negative year-to-date momentum, down about $130 million, while Bitcoin leads overall YTD flows at roughly $1.9 billion and represents about 83% of the $2.3 billion total YTD inflows.
  • Investors added to short-Bitcoin products as weekly inflows hit $20 million—the largest since November 2024—while XRP ETPs drew roughly $19 million and Solana saw modest outflows of about $2.5 million.
  • Regional dispersion remained highly US-centric, with about $1 billion of inflows concentrated in the United States (roughly 95% of weekly net inflows). US spot BTC ETPs led the way, pulling in around $786.3 million, according to SoSoValue data. Germany, Canada, and Switzerland posted smaller inflows of $34.6 million, $7.8 million, and $6.9 million, respectively.

Bitcoin-led demand and the broader price backdrop

Bitcoin’s surge to the forefront of weekly inflows coincided with persistent volatility in spot markets. The token briefly reclaimed the $70,000 level and even traded above $73,000 at times last week, even as the wider market sentiment remained fragile. CoinShares notes that the strength of ETP inflows points to continued institutional demand and a preference for regulated investment products, even in a period of mixed macro signals.

James Butterfill, head of research at CoinShares, attributed the inflow spike to a confluence of factors: a rebound in risk appetite following tentative ceasefire developments in Iran, alongside softer-than-expected U.S. inflation and spending data. The combination appeared to reassure investors that regulated exposure to crypto remains a viable proxy for risk-on positioning, even as the broader market contends with volatility and policy ambiguity.

Ether’s rebound amid a cautious year

Ether’s $196.5 million inflow marks a notable shift after three weeks of outflows, suggesting some rotation back into Ethereum-based products as investors reassess narrative risk and chain-level activity. Despite the rebound, Ether’s year-to-date tally remains negative, reflecting a broader rotation away from certain non-Bitcoin assets within regulated vehicles. By contrast, Bitcoin’s stronger YTD inflows highlight continued demand for the largest crypto as a core exposure within ETP portfolios.

Advertisement

Regional focus and notable movers

The geographic split of flows further underscored a US-dominated appetite for crypto ETPs. Roughly $1 billion of weekly inflows originated in the United States, with US spot BTC ETPs alone contributing about $786.3 million. Germany registered inflows of $34.6 million, while Canada and Switzerland saw smaller inflows of $7.8 million and $6.9 million, respectively. In the smaller movers, XRP ETPs added about $19 million, and Solana saw modest outflows of around $2.5 million. The week also featured active positioning in short-BTC instruments, reflecting tactical bets on near-term price dynamics.

These patterns align with a broader narrative: investors remain willing to deploy capital into regulated crypto access points, even as the macro environment remains uncertain. The US-led flows, in particular, emphasize how regulatory clarity and product availability can shape allocation during periods of mixed sentiment.

What this means for investors going forward

The latest CoinShares data reinforce a theme that has persisted through 2026: demand for regulated crypto exposure is highly sensitive to macro signals and policy cues, with the United States acting as the primary engine of inflows. The strong BTC performance relative to Ether underscores a potential preference for flagship assets as a core ballast within ETP portfolios, especially when risk appetite improves alongside softer inflation readings.

For traders and institutions alike, the focus will likely remain on two fronts: the durability of the US-led inflow pattern and how Ether’s recent rebound evolves as broader liquidity conditions shift. The sizable short-BTC inflows also merit attention, as they can illuminate hedging dynamics and speculative positioning tied to near-term price expectations.

Advertisement

CoinShares’ data suggest that the near-term trajectory for crypto ETPs will hinge on macro clarity and regulatory developments. As policymakers and markets absorb ongoing inflation signals and geopolitical headlines, investors will watch whether the US stream of inflows sustains its lead and whether Ether can turn the year’s momentum more decisively in its favor.

Looking ahead, traders should monitor how forthcoming macro data, regulatory updates, and potential ceasefire developments influence risk appetite and flow leadership among BTC, ETH, and other liquid assets within regulated products.

Risk & affiliate notice: Crypto assets are volatile and capital is at risk. This article may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Crypto World

StarkWare fires staff after Starknet revenue collapses 98%

Published

on

StarkWare fires staff after Starknet revenue collapses 98%

The CEO of StarkWare, the once-$8 billion Israeli company behind Ethereum-based blockchain Starknet, announced layoffs and a full corporate restructuring today. Monthly revenue on its flagship network has collapsed more than 98% from its peak.

In November 2023, Starknet’s on-chain revenue peaked near $5.8 million within a single month. This month, it is on track for approximately $100,000

In other words, the network that once generated $187,000 in daily fees now generates about $3,500 per day. StarkWare declined to disclose the number of layoffs.

StarkWare, founded in Israel in 2018, develops Starknet, an Ethereum layer 2. For disambiguation, there is no StarkWave entity, a common misnomer that circulates online.

Advertisement

Starknet’s STRK token launched via airdrop in February 2024 and briefly traded to $4.41. It’s since fallen to $0.033, giving it a market capitalization of $187 million. That’s a 91% decline from its $2 billion market cap in March 2024.

Price of Starknet, February 2024-present. Source: TradingView

StarkWare CEO: We are downsizing

CEO Eli Ben-Sasson posted his internal memo to X, telling staff the company had grown too large.

“Very sadly, as part of this process, we are downsizing,” he said as he fired staff. “Our new strategy requires that we move fast, and we’re too big and too inefficient for that.”

StarkWare raised $100 million at an $8 billion valuation in May 2022, quadrupling its size from $2 billion in a round six months prior. Although the company hasn’t updated its valuation in today’s downsizing announcement, it would probably be embarrassing relative to those 2022 figures.

GreenOaks Capital and Coatue were lead investors in the company. Earlier backers included Sequoia Capital, Paradigm, Founders Fund, as well as crypto dumpster fires Three Arrows Capital and Sam Bankman-Fried’s Alameda Research

Advertisement

StarkWare raised more than $260 million over its lifetime — more than the current market cap of STRK.

COO Oren Katz has submitted his resignation and departs at the end of this month.

A split and a sunset

The restructuring splits StarkWare into two independent business units. An applications division, led by Chief Product Officer Avihu Levy, will chase revenue directly. A Starknet development unit, led by Product Head Tom Brand, will continue core protocol work.

Read more: Crypto Twitter upset by Starknet STRK airdrop

Advertisement

The revenue decline is mostly due to Starknet’s failure to attract usage of its blockchain as well as limited revenue across layer 2 blockchains. 

Ethereum’s Dencun upgrade in March 2024 slashed data costs for all layer 2 networks, compressing fee revenue across the board. Layer 2 governance tokens like STRK posted average returns of negative 40% in 2025 in their second consecutive unprofitable year.

Starknet fared worse than most. Its total value locked sits around $241 million per DefiLlama, far behind Coinbase’s Base at roughly $4.3 billion and Arbitrum at $1.9 billion. Starknet’s all-time cumulative fees total just $45 million.

Ben-Sasson acknowledged as much. “Infrastructure alone does not win the game.”

Advertisement

Got a tip? Send us an email securely via Protos Leaks. For more informed news, follow us on X, Bluesky, and Google News, or subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Crypto World

Jito Expands Into South Korea with KODA Custody Partnership

Published

on

Jito Expands Into South Korea with KODA Custody Partnership

Jito Foundation has signed a memorandum of understanding with Korean digital asset custodian KODA to explore institutional custody and staking support for JitoSOL in the local market. 

According to Monday’s announcement, the agreement includes outreach to institutional investors and the development of compliant custody and staking pathways.

It comes as South Korea’s Financial Services Commission is expected to finalize a digital asset regulatory framework later this year.

In February, the foundation said it would work with Hanwha Asset Management to explore a JitoSOL exchange-traded fund in South Korea, pending regulatory approval. Marc Liew, head of APAC at Jito Foundation, told Cointelegraph:

Advertisement

We are seeing significant interest from two main camps: large financial firms looking to build the next generation of wealth management products, and institutional entities that are interested in the yield-bearing nature of JitoSOL for their corporate treasuries. 

KODA provides custody infrastructure including cold storage, MPC-based key management and institutional staking, carrying $20 million in digital asset insurance coverage. The company is backed by KB Kookmin Bank and other ininvestors andolds a registered VASP license and ISMS certification.

“Through KODA’s institutional-grade vaulting system, the KODA interface will allow the client to mint JitoSOL directly from their SOL holdings,” Liew said.

Jito is a liquid staking protocol on the Solana (SOL) network where users stake SOL in exchange for JitoSOL, a token usable across decentralized finance applications. The Jito Foundation supports development, partnerships and institutional outreach.

JitoSOL has a market capitalization of about $930 million, according to CoinGecko data. The token already has institutional exposure in Europe through a 21Shares exchange-traded product, while custodians including BitGo and Hex Trust support staking directly from custody accounts.

Advertisement
Source: CoinGecko

Related: Grayscale debuts Solana ETF, joining Bitwise in SOL staking ETF race

Seoul tightens crypto market controls

South Korean regulators and policymakers are pushing for tighter controls on the crypto sector as they move toward a more structured regulatory framework.

In January, the country approved changes to its crypto licensing regime, tightening requirements for virtual asset service providers and expanding oversight to include major shareholders. In March, policymakers followed with a proposal to cap ownership stakes in domestic exchanges at 20%, part of wider efforts to impose stricter controls on market structure.

The regulatory push accelerated after a payout error at crypto exchange Bithumb in early February, when users mistakenly received 620,000 Bitcoin (BTC) instead of 620,000 Korean won, triggering a sell-off and exposing weaknesses in exchange oversight.

Following the incident, the country’s Financial Services Commission introduced stricter reconciliation requirements between exchanges’ internal ledgers and onchain balances.

Advertisement

Earlier this month, lawmakers began drafting legislation that would classify stablecoins as foreign exchange payment instruments and require tokenized real-world assets to be backed by assets held in trust. 

More recently, the Bank of Korea called for exchange-level “circuit breakers” and stronger internal controls, with the central bank warning that the industry lacks safeguards seen in traditional financial systems.

Magazine: Should users be allowed to bet on war and death in prediction markets?

Advertisement