Bitcoin’s on-chain activity has shown a sharp slowdown since spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) launched. While institutional inflows into these products have accelerated, the number of active BTC addresses has declined. As Wall Street embraces BTC exposure, the network’s grassroots participation appears to be undergoing a significant transformation. In an X post, the CEO of SwanDesk, financial analyst Jacob King, pointed out that Bitcoin active addresses have been in a steady decline since the US spot BTC ETFs launched in January 2024, and the irony is obvious. Why Retail Participation Shows Signs Of Fatigue For years, BTC maximalists have pushed for Wall Street adoption, believing institutional involvement would unlock the next wave of mass usage. Instead, on-chain participation has dropped sharply as retail lost interest. Related Reading: US Fed Has Ended Quantitative Tightening, But Why Is The Bitcoin Price Still Below $100,000? King noted that these Bitcoiners have piled into the ETF for a quick, early FOMO bump, and then bailed, leaving behind a market where the asset is increasingly traded by proxy. According to King, ETF investing kills BTC’s core principles. While investors no longer hold or control their own assets as banks do, which is the very system BTC was designed to challenge, greed always beats ideology. Market watcher Crypto Seth has revealed that the net inflows into BlackRock and Fidelity’s spot BTC ETFs have been relatively subdued since October 10, when the largest liquidation events happened. Seth believes that this might turn into a momentum reversal soon, as the US stock market is at 1% below new highs despite retail sentiment remaining stuck in extreme fear. Seth also pointed out that the macro backdrop is shifting in BTC’s favor. This is because the Federal Reserve ended its Quantitative Tightening (QT) program on December 1, 2025, wrapping up a multi-year effort that shaved nearly $3 trillion from the balance sheet since 2022. Since the US Fed rate is still at 4.00%, more interest rate cuts are on the horizon, which is higher than both Europe and China. The BlackRock iShares BTC Trust (IBIT), which was launched in January 2024, is currently the firm’s most profitable exchange-traded fund (ETF) based on annual fee revenue, despite being less than two years old. Unlocking Bitcoin Without Compromising Its Core Principles Bitcoin is seeing key initiatives that improve its ecosystem. Every market cycle that has promise to unlock Bitcoin for decentralized finance (DeFi), RioSwap is one of the few products built on infrastructure that was capable of unlocking it in a truly decentralized way. Related Reading: Bitcoin Aims Higher as Bulls Regain Strength and Push for Resistance Break According to Mintlayer, this was powered by Mintlayer’s native HTLC architecture, as RioSwap introduces a Decentralized Exchange (DEX) that allows BTC to move directly into decentralized markets without wrapping, unbridging, and is fully in the user’s control. With the RioSwap testnet now live, Mintlayer sees this as the start of a new liquidity phase for BTC where the asset will become an active participant in the decentralized market on its own terms. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com
Spot Bitcoin ETFs (exchange-traded funds) are one of the biggest narratives and have been a game-changer in the cryptocurrency space in the past two years. With these investment products, people get to participate in the cryptocurrency market without having to directly own the digital assets. Interestingly, one of the biggest winners—that often gets overlooked—has been the issuers, especially as the crypto industry has seen increased institutional adoption since the Bitcoin ETFs launched. According to the firm’s executive, the BTC exchange-traded funds becoming the major source of revenue for BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, was not envisioned. BlackRock’s Bitcoin Funds Outweighing Expectations At the Blockchain Conference 2025 in São Paulo on Friday, November 28, BlackRock’s business development director in Brazil, Cristiano Castro, told reporters that the Bitcoin ETFs are the largest revenue source for their company. According to the executive, this development came as a “big surprise” to the asset management firm. Related Reading: Fed To End QT In December: Will Bitcoin Mirror The Massive Price Crash From Last Time? Castro said in a statement: We were very optimistic when we launched, but we didn’t believe it would reach such proportions. Just to give you an idea, it [IBIT in the US and IBIT39 in Brazil – the asset’s reference names] came very close to US$100 billion [in allocation]. This feat is notable for the Bitcoin ETFs, especially considering that BlackRock offers more than 1,400 exchange-traded products globally and has a whopping $13.4 trillion in assets under management. The US-based Bitcoin fund (with the IBIT ticker) has over $70.7 billion in net assets, becoming the first ETF to reach the $70-billion mark (doing so in June 2025). While the US Bitcoin ETF market has somewhat slowed down, BlackRock’s IBIT still continues to outpace other ETFs launched in recent years. As earlier reports suggested, IBIT had managed to generate roughly $245 million in annual fees as of October 2025. Bitcoin ETF Outflows ‘Perfectly Normal’ – Castro When asked about the recent outflows from BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF as the market leader’s value fell, the director stated that there are zero surprises in that trend. “ETFs are very liquid and powerful instruments, and they serve precisely to allow people to allocate their capital and manage their cash flow,” Castro noted. The BlackRock director said that the withdrawals are expected, considering that the product is heavily owned by retail investors, who are reactionary in nature to price corrections. On Friday, the iShares Bitcoin Trust saw a net outflow of $113.72 million, bringing the weekly record to a negative $137.01 million and the fund to its fifth-consecutive week of withdrawals. Related Reading: The Bitcoin Price Crash To $41,000: There’s A Shark In The Water Featured image from Getty Images, chart from TradingView
Bitcoin may be closing in on a new all-time high after moves in the derivatives market and fresh buying from large holders, according to market watchers and on-chain data. Related Reading: Crypto Wins Big: Thailand Moves To A 0% Tax On Local Exchange Gains Max Keiser, a long-time Bitcoin advocate, pointed to a filing by Nasdaq to increase options limits for BlackRock’s IBIT to 1 million contracts — a jump that represents roughly a 40x expansion from prior levels — as a key development that could remove barriers to bigger institutional flows. Options Market Expands Significantly According to Nasdaq paperwork and public commentary, the previous 25,000 contract cap had been seen by some as too small for rising volume. Market experts argued that earlier limits were “discriminatorily small” and suggested that 400,000 contracts would be a more reasonable baseline given current demand. Some described the change as a move that could place IBIT into a mega-cap derivatives category, unlocking follow-on effects for how banks and funds structure exposure to bitcoin. I first explained this in 2017: Now that BTC derivatives market was just expanded by 40x New ATH’s are in play. **November 2, 2017** Max Keiser first discussed Bitcoin market makers needing to expand their inventory to support higher prices in this X post: “Wall St traders… https://t.co/aBQ5DdSDay — Max Keiser (@maxkeiser) November 27, 2025 Banks And Market Makers React Market makers will be able to hedge larger positions without hitting the old size wall, which can lower spreads and deepen available liquidity. Based on reports, that also means banks can build structured notes that use IBIT as a reference without tripping existing risk caps — and JPMorgan is reportedly preparing Bitcoin-backed structured notes that would track BlackRock IBIT. Those products could channel steady, institutional flows into the market rather than one-off spikes. On-Chain Buyers Step In According to Glassnode’s Accumulation Trend Score by cohort, holders of 10,000 BTC or more have flipped to net accumulation and now show a score of 0.8, signaling strong buying. The 1,000 to 10,000 BTC group has also turned positive for the first time since September, while the 100 to 1,000 BTC cohort has been in active accumulation since October and continued buying through recent declines. Even retail holders with less than 1 BTC are showing their strongest accumulation since July. Price Action And Value Zones Bitcoin’s price behavior supports the buying narrative. The token fell into the low $80,000 area that served as support in May and then climbed back above $90,000 quickly, which many traders took as a sign that the market sees value in the $80,000 zone. Based on reports, the average cost basis for US spot bitcoin ETFs was near $82,000, and that figure has been cited as a reason institutions found the dip attractive. Related Reading: Bitcoin Faces More Downside After Recent Crash, Data Shows Market Risks And Short-Term Noise Keiser had warned previously that when size limits blocked hedging, the market would be prone to pullbacks — and some analysts say that is part of the reason for recent volatility. Expanding the options cap allows volume sellers to enter more smoothly, which could reduce erratic swings but will not erase market risk. Price spikes are still possible and downside moves remain a real threat if flows slow or macro conditions shift. Featured image from Gemini, chart from TradingView
On Nov. 26, Nasdaq’s International Securities Exchange quietly triggered one of the most important developments in Bitcoin’s financial integration. The trading platform asked the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to raise the position limit on BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) options from 250,000 contracts to one million. On the surface, the proposal looks procedural. […]
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Texas has taken the first formal step toward becoming the first US state to hold Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset. On Nov. 25, Lee Bratcher, president of the Texas Blockchain Council, reported that the world’s eighth-largest economy, valued at $2.7 trillion, purchased $5 million worth of BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, IBIT. He added that a […]
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Texas has moved public money into Bitcoin exposure, buying $5 million worth of shares in a regulated Bitcoin exchange-traded fund. Related Reading: Bitcoin Creator Somehow Becomes ‘Poor’ By Losing $41 Billion Without Saying A Word According to reports, the state’s purchase was made on November 20, 2025, and it used the BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) to gain price exposure without immediately holding the cryptocurrency itself. The state set aside a total allocation of $10 million for its new Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. Lee Bratcher, who leads the Texas Blockchain Council, confirmed the state’s crypto purchase on X. State Uses ETF As Interim Step Reports have disclosed that officials chose the ETF route as a temporary measure while the state puts custody plans in place. The IBIT shares give Texas a stake that tracks Bitcoin’s market moves. Based on reports, the entry price equated to roughly $87,000 per BTC at the time of the buy. The buy represents half of the total allocation, leaving $5 million still available for future moves. TEXAS BOUGHT THE DIP! Texas becomes the FIRST state to purchase Bitcoin with a $10M investment on Nov. 20th at an approximately $87k basis! Congratulations to Comptroller @KHancock4TX and the dedicated investments team at Texas Treasury who have been watching this market… pic.twitter.com/wsMqI9HrPD — Lee ₿ratcher (@lee_bratcher) November 25, 2025 The move follows legislation passed earlier in the year. According to public records, the reserve program was created by Senate Bill 21, signed in June 2025. The law authorizes a capped budget for the reserve and sets conditions for what assets qualify. Reports have disclosed that Bitcoin met the criteria laid out in the measure, prompting the initial allocation. What Officials Say And What Comes Next According to state officials, the purchase is meant as a hedge and a way to diversify long-term holdings. An RFP process is expected to pick a custodian, with officials planning to transfer from ETF positions to direct custody once systems are ready. The request for proposals is slated for early 2026, based on public statements. Analysts noted the distinction between ETF shares and direct ownership. ETF holdings provide price exposure; they do not give the state direct control over on-chain Bitcoin wallets. That control would come only after the state completes its custody procurement and shifts assets into cold storage or similar solutions. Possible Broader Effects Market observers say the purchase is notable because it marks one of the first instances of a US state formally placing public funds into Bitcoin exposure. The amount is small relative to broader markets, yet symbolic. It may prompt other states to consider similar reserve strategies, especially where lawmakers favor diversification. Related Reading: Hamas Victims Sue Binance And CZ — Accusations Of Terror Financing Rock Crypto World Transparency And Oversight According to public filings, the state will publish details of the holdings and any custody plan updates. Oversight mechanisms built into the law require regular reporting, and the remaining $5 million allocation must follow the same rules before it is used. That reporting will be watched closely by lawmakers, taxpayers, and market watchers. The buying decision was made amid wide debate over how government bodies should handle crypto assets. Texas plans to move carefully, using regulated products first and then moving toward self-custody when the proper safeguards and vendors are chosen. Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView
With JPMorgan's instrument, investors get a chance at a 1.5x upside, a fixed return if IBIT is flat in a year, and some downside protection.
Harvard University increased its holdings of BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) by 257% compared to its June position, with a reported 6,813,612 shares valued at $442.9 million as of September 30. The allocation rose from 1,906,000 shares worth about $116 million earlier this year. The same SEC filing revealed that Harvard has doubled down on […]
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Bitcoin’s recent struggle to hold the $100,000 level has revived familiar doubts about whether institutional demand is durable. However, in a new filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, BlackRock signals the opposite conclusion, saying its conviction in Bitcoin’s long-term relevance remains intact despite short-term market weakness. The firm frames Bitcoin as a decades-long […]
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BlackRock will list an iShares Bitcoin ETF on the Australian Securities Exchange in mid-November 2025, according to public filings and market reports. Related Reading: Bitcoin May Be This Week’s Big Story As Saylor Teases Fresh Buy The product will be a local wrapper around BlackRock’s US iShares Bitcoin Trust — a vehicle that launched in January 2024 and now manages about $85 billion. Based on reports, the new ASX ticker will charge a management fee of 0.39% per year. BlackRock Brings IBIT To ASX The move aims to give Australian investors an easier way to gain exposure to bitcoin through a familiar exchange-listed product. Reports have disclosed that investors who buy the ASX ETF will not hold bitcoin in a private wallet; they will have exposure through the ETF’s structure. That means price swings in bitcoin still apply. It also means custody and technical handling are managed by the fund rather than each investor. What Investors Should Know The fee of 0.39% is competitive when compared with many retail crypto services, but traders and long-term holders will want to check how closely the ETF tracks bitcoin’s price and what trading spreads look like on the ASX. According to filings, the ASX listing will use the US trust as the underlying asset, which raises questions about cross-market flows and the mechanics of how units are created and cancelled. Liquidity on the local exchange, and how market makers support the product, will shape how cheaply investors can enter and exit positions. Market Implications For Australia BlackRock’s entry could prompt other asset managers to list similar products in Australia. Based on reports, the launch follows a wave of spot bitcoin ETF approvals and listings in other markets since early 2024. For retail investors who avoided direct crypto custody, an ETF on the ASX removes some of the operational hurdles. But it does not remove market risk: bitcoin’s price can move sharply. Regulators in Australia have already been refining rules around crypto products, and the presence of a major global manager will put those rules under closer scrutiny. Competition And Risks Smaller providers offering bitcoin exposure through different structures may face tougher competition on fees and access. Reports have also highlighted potential downsides: an ETF wrapper can add a layer of cost and complexity, and investors may misunderstand the difference between owning the underlying asset and owning ETF units. Related Reading: ‘Good News’ Finally Arrives For SHIB Army As Team Unveils New Update Custody arrangements, insurance, and how the trust sources and stores bitcoin are items that advisers and sophisticated buyers will examine. According to market watchers, the timing — mid-November 2025 — matters. Investor appetite, bitcoin’s price action and broader market sentiment around that time will affect how much money flows into the new ETF. For many Australians, this will be a new, regulated route into bitcoin exposure. For the market, it is another step toward mainstream channels where big asset managers compete for crypto assets on familiar ground. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
Spot Bitcoin ETFs opened the week with -$186.5 million in net redemptions on Monday, Nov. 3, stretching a four-session drain to roughly -$1.34 billion since Oct. 29. This run shows how quickly flows can swing when a single mega-issuer turns into a seller. Data from Farside shows Monday’s outflows were effectively concentrated at IBIT, with […]
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Over the past year, Bitcoin’s exchange-traded fund (ETF) boom has been celebrated as proof that Wall Street has finally embraced crypto. Yet the numbers reveal something far more fragile. On Oct. 28, Vetle Lunde, head of research at K33 Research, noted that US-traded Bitcoin ETFs have attracted about $26.9 billion in inflows year-to-date. However, that […]
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The leverage era in Bitcoin trading has faded into something more deliberate. What once resembled a perpetual motion casino now behaves more like a bond desk. Options activity has overtaken perpetuals, realized volatility has narrowed, and the largest Bitcoin fund in the world, BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), has become a vehicle for income strategies […]
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According to statements made on CNBC, BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, IBIT, has topped $100 billion in assets under management less than two years after it launched. Related Reading: Dogecoin Sheds 25% As $57M Flees Market — Can The Memecoin Recover? That figure marks one of the fastest rises for any ETF in recent memory. It also puts the world’s largest asset manager squarely at the center of institutional Bitcoin holdings. BlackRock Now Holds A Large Share Of Bitcoin Supply Based on reports, BlackRock holds 804,944 BTC. At current, lower market levels, that stash is worth close to $90 billion. When Bitcoin hit an all-time high last week, the same holding was worth more than $100 billion. BlackRock’s position represents 3.83% of Bitcoin’s total supply. For comparison, Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) owns 640,250 BTC, or 3.048% of supply, according to available figures. Those numbers show how ownership of Bitcoin is shifting toward big financial firms as ETFs and other products bring new capital into crypto markets. Tokenization Push Adds New Dimension Larry Fink told viewers the firm is moving faster into digital assets and that tokenization will be used for a wide range of investments, from property to bonds. BlackRock also manages an Ethereum portfolio valued at more than $17 billion. The company has launched tokenized money market vehicles, and one product called BUIDL has become the largest tokenized cash money market fund, according to the firm. With about $4 trillion reportedly sitting in digital wallets worldwide, BlackRock sees an opportunity to reach investors who prefer digital channels. Institutional Shift In Ownership Is Clear Reports show IBIT’s rapid growth has changed the balance of large holders. Where corporate treasuries and early adopters once dominated ownership, institutional funds now control a rising share. That matters for liquidity and for how large inflows or outflows might affect the market when they happen. It also shifts some power over market behavior to managers who must answer to clients and regulators. Bitcoin Price And Market Conditions Based on market updates, Bitcoin fell below $112,500 on Wednesday. Price action cooled after recent gains, with renewed headwinds including US-China trade tensions and a temporary US government shutdown contributing to weaker sentiment. Analysts say the next few weeks could offer buying chances as funding and perpetual markets calm. Institutional flows into ETFs like IBIT will be watched closely because they can tilt short-term demand. Related Reading: BNB’s Comeback Meal — Trader Says The Token Ate The Dump For Breakfast What This Means Going Forward BlackRock’s move signals a larger reality: digital assets are now part of mainstream finance. Fink’s change in tone — from caution to active investment — reflects that shift. The presence of a major manager with hundreds of thousands of BTC and a growing set of tokenized offerings will influence how investors view crypto exposure. Featured image from Michael Nagle/Bloomberg/Getty Images, chart from TradingView
Bitcoin’s weekend was a classic macro hit-and-run. On Friday, tariff threats toward China knifed through risk assets and shoved BTC through $110,000, with roughly $7 billion in crypto positions liquidated as leverage unwound into a thin tape. By Sunday night and into Monday, the tone softened as Trump posted a calming message about China, and […]
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BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF is pulling in cash at a speed never seen in the fund industry. After another $4 billion streak of inflows this week, IBIT now holds more than 800,000 BTC, worth roughly $98 billion, and is within striking distance of a milestone that no ETF has ever reached this quickly. Bloomberg Intelligence […]
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The largest Bitcoin ETF in the world has just revamped its process for moving coins in and out of the fund. BlackRock’s IBIT, which has accrued more than $20 billion since launch, can now process creations and redemptions “in kind.” The SEC’s approval order quietly flipped the switch: IBIT’s authorized participants can now swap Bitcoin […]
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BlackRock has confirmed that its Canadian arm has granted securities lending for the iShares Bitcoin ETF from Aug. 25 after providing investors with the required 60-day notice. The move follows disclosure in the June 26 prospectus, which outlined how the fund may engage in lending transactions in accordance with Canadian securities laws. The decision aligns […]
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BlackRock is extending its push into Bitcoin with a new fund designed to turn the asset’s volatility into investor yield. On Sept. 25, Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas revealed that the firm had filed for a product called the iShares Bitcoin Premium ETF, a covered-call fund structured under the ’33 Act. Unlike a traditional spot […]
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Major Wall Street institutions, including Wells Fargo, Cantor Fitzgerald, and Jane Street, have sharply increased their Bitcoin-related holdings over the past months. These firms’ portfolio updates on the stock analytics platform Quiver Quantitative reveal they are investing billions in the top crypto via exchange-traded funds and crypto-focused equities like Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy). Bitcoin ETFs allow […]
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BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) is rapidly cementing its status as the most dominant BTC fund among its peers. Bitcoin analyst James Check highlighted the divergence in a June 29 X post, noting that total inflows across all other Bitcoin ETFs have stagnated around $20 billion since December 2024. In contrast, IBIT alone has […]
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BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) has attracted more capital this year than the largest gold-backed ETF. On May 6, Bloomberg Senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas reported that IBIT ranked as the US’ sixth-highest fund by year-to-date inflows. According to the data, IBIT has pulled in over $6.9 billion since January, outperforming the SPDR Gold Shares […]
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BlackRock, the largest asset manager in the world, reported $3 billion in digital asset inflows during the first quarter of 2025 despite the volatility in the crypto market. The update came in the firm’s latest earnings report, which also revealed $84 billion in total net flows across its broader portfolio during the quarter. The performance […]
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BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) emerged as a bright spot in an otherwise challenging period for US Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which saw their third consecutive day of net outflows on Jan. 13. According to data from Farside, the Bitcoin ETF market recorded a total net outflow of $284.1 million. BlackRock’s IBIT stood out with […]
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Steno Research analysts predict that Bitcoin ETFs could see an estimated $48 billion in net inflows during 2025.
Many executives and analysts predicted the success of US spot Bitcoin ETFs in 2024, but the funds surpassed expectations.
BlackRock’s IBIT has also seen a record three consecutive trading days of outflows.
The iShares Bitcoin Trust brought in more than $37 billion in net inflows since launching in January, according to Farside Investors.
BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF saw a record outflow on Christmas Eve amid a four-trading day outflow streak from US Bitcoin funds.
On Dec. 16, US spot and derivative Bitcoin ETFs collectively broke $129 billion in net assets, surpassing gold ETFs for the first time.