The Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP ETFs are seeing renewed institutional interest to start the year, providing a bullish outlook for the crypto market. This development comes amid BTC’s rally above $90,000, with the flagship crypto now targeting new 2026 highs.
Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP ETFs See Over $800 Million In Inflows
SoSoValue data shows that the Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP ETFs saw over $800 million in daily net inflows on January 5. The BTC ETFs took in $697.25 million, led by BlackRock and Fidelity’s fund. This inflow was notably the largest since the October 10 crypto crash, marking a huge positive for the Bitcoin price. Notably, BTC has reached a 2026 high above $94,000 amid these inflows, with sustained demand likely contributing to higher prices.
Furthermore, the Ethereum ETFs recorded daily net inflows of $168.13 million, building on the $174.43 million inflows on January 2. The net inflows recorded on January 2 were the largest since December 9. These inflows of the ETH ETFs come as ETH staking demand rises, with the staking entry queue now over 200x larger than the staking exit queue. This is significant as the institutional and staking demand could both contribute to a supply shock for the ETH price.
Meanwhile, just like the Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, the XRP ETFs also recorded significant inflows on January 5. These funds took in $46.10 million on the day, marking their highest flows in the last month. It is worth noting that these XRP funds have not recorded daily net outflows since they launched in November.
This has likely contributed to XRP’s outperformance following Bitcoin’s rally above $90,000 to start the year. The altcoin currently boasts a year-to-date (YTD) gain of just over 20%, outperforming all crypto assets in the top 10 ranking except Dogecoin.
“Coming Into 2026 Like A Lion”
In an X post, Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas stated that the Bitcoin ETFs are coming into 2026 like a lion. This came as he noted that they had taken in over $1.2 billion in the first two trading days of the year, with every fund seeing considerable flows. Based on this, the Bloomberg analyst noted that they are on pace to take $150 billion in inflows in 2026. “If they can take in $22b when it’s raining, imagine when the sun is shining,” he added.
Meanwhile, Balchunas stated that the total 2026 flows for these Bitcoin ETFs will depend on price. Although he noted it wasn’t a formal prediction, the Bloomberg analyst mentioned that they could take in between $20 and $70 billion in inflows if the BTC price underperforms. On the other hand, if BTC rises to around $130,000 and $140,000, Balchunas believes that the ETFs could record up to $70 billion in inflows this year.
Featured image from Unsplash, chart from Tradingview.com
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