Institutional capital has transformed the cryptocurrency market dynamics, changing who participates and how digital assets are traded. The arrival of spot exchange-traded funds, corporate treasury allocations, and access through major brokerage platforms has pulled Bitcoin and Ethereum deeper into traditional finance. Vanguard, for instance, reversed its long-held anti-crypto stance just a few months ago, allowing trading in funds that hold Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Solana. However, talking about bad timing, these cryptocurrencies have struggled in the months following that policy change. Challenging Months For Institutional Investors The entrance of major asset managers such as BlackRock and Fidelity Investments was a structural turning point for Bitcoin. The January 2024 launch of Spot Bitcoin ETFs in the United States opened the door for pension funds, registered investment advisors, and other conservative capital pools to gain exposure without directly holding Bitcoin. These ETFs have accumulated billions of dollars in inflows, with custodians now holding a meaningful share of Bitcoin’s circulating supply. Related Reading: Here’s All You Need To Know About The Bitcoin Price This Week However, the past few months have been really challenging for investors. Notably, the last month of inflows into Spot Bitcoin ETFs was in October 2025, when it was pushing to new all-time highs above $126,000. Since then, it has been months of net outflows, and this has weighed down on Bitcoin’s price action. Same goes for Spot Ethereum ETFs, which recorded consecutive months of outflows since November 2025. Vanguard clients are likely among those feeling the impact most directly. In December 2025, US-based investment management company Vanguard reversed its anti-crypto stance and started allowing trading of ETFs and mutual funds that hold Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Solana. The availability of these crypto products on a major mainstream brokerage like Vanguard was a milestone for crypto investing. Vanguard manages over $12 trillion in assets and serves tens of millions of investors. Unsurprisingly, the price action of Bitcoin and other top cryptocurrencies initially reacted positively to the Vanguard news. However, the timing coincided with a downturn across the entire crypto market, which has been having a red 2026 so far. Since Vanguard’s rollout, Bitcoin’s price has fallen by about 30%, while Ethereum, Solana, and XRP have fallen by about 40% in the same period. Is Institutional Involvement A Threat Or A Sign Of Maturity? It is clear that institutional entry has not erased the volatile nature of crypto markets. Bitcoin and Ethereum are still subject to swings in investor risk appetite, although this is now at a larger scale. Therefore, the question of whether institutions are killing Bitcoin and Ethereum is based on perspective. Related Reading: Why Investors Are Not Buying Bitcoin And Ethereum Despite ‘Low’ Prices The presence of regulated ETFs means that downturns are now absorbed by a wider set of market participants. Companies like BitMine and Strategy are still in the business of huge purchases. New investor bases like this can help sustain prices over time. However, one thing is clear: cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Solana are no longer fringe assets operating outside the traditional investment system; they now sit within it. This integration will even become more clear once the CLARITY Act is passed in the US. Featured image from iStock, chart from Tradingview.com
XRP has been misunderstood as just another retail-traded crypto asset, when in reality, it was engineered from the ground up to serve institutional finance. Most retail investors approach XRP through the lens of short-term price action, but that framing misses what the asset was actually built to do. XRP was never built for retail investors. Crypto trader Adam highlighted on X that from the outset, XRP was designed as institutional-grade infrastructure, powering liquidity corridors, cross-border settlements, and the movement of value between financial systems fast and efficiently. How Early Liquidity Providers Sit Ahead Of Demand The goal isn’t hype or speculation, but rather plumbing for global money flow. In this framework, the retail participant isn’t the target audience. Instead, retail holders occupy an early position, providing optional liquidity and gaining front-row access while the underlying rails are still being built. Related Reading: Ripple’s Next Steps: Where XRP Stops Being Trade And Starts Being Infrastrucutre As institutional adoption continues to expand, retail holders are positioned ahead of the curve and may benefit from utility demand, which ultimately drives long-term value. In this contest, being early doesn’t mean being excluded; it simply means being advantaged ahead of the curve. XRP has already transitioned into an institutional-grade asset. Analyst Xfinancebull has pointed out that the narrative from just two years ago was that many believed institutions would avoid XRP due to its uncertainty, perceived risk, and regulatory clarity, but that landscape has shifted. Currently, XRP exposure is available on major institutional platforms, including Vanguard, which manages over $10 trillion in assets and serves more than 50 million investors globally, and is second only to BlackRock. Multiple XRP ETFs are now live and accessible, including the Bitwise XRP ETF, Franklin Templeton XRP ETF, Canary XRP ETF, and Teucrium 2x XRP ETF. Despite this progress, XRP’s price remains low, and institutions are not emotional about the dip because they don’t buy green candles; they accumulate during the times of fear, and position their capital when retail interest is distracted or discouraged. XRP is now available on the same platforms used in managing retirement funds for millions of Americans and now offers direct XRP exposure. Once institutional allocations begin to flow, available supply can be absorbed quickly. “You’re either positioned before institutions move, or chasing after they’ve already entered,” Xfinancebull noted. Banks Are Already Testing XRPL Infrastructure According to Jake Claver, the CEO of DAGFamilyOffice, the global banking system currently has roughly $27 trillion locked in pre-funded accounts, which only exist because banks can’t settle transactions in real-time. Meanwhile, the XRP ledger alternative can handle that settlement in seconds, and banks are already testing this infrastructure. Related Reading: XRP Tops All Assets On Risk/Reward, Analyst Says The key question, as Claver frames it, is not whether real-time settlement is possible, but how long the current system can persist before the efficiency gains become impossible for banks to ignore. Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com
Executive John Ameriks emphasized Vanguard's core view of the crypto sector hasn't changed, seeing the asset class as highly speculative.
The XRP price action is now showing signs of resilience as it coils tightly around a key support level, fighting against further downside pressure. Despite recent pressure across the broader crypto landscape, XRP has repeatedly held this level. With bearish momentum fading and volatility compressing, it could be preparing for a potential reversal. Support Cluster Shows Strength As XRP Holds Its Ground XRP is reaching a point where it refuses to go any lower. Crypto analyst Henry has noted on X that the token is whispering loudly right now, showing strength exactly where it matters, and rising clearly from its trendline support after days of bleeding. Related Reading: XRP Shows Unusual Market Behavior as Traders Weigh Fresh Bullish Signals for December This level has been tested, rejected, and respected with precision, but this bounce feels different as the structure looks cleaner, the moment feels calmer, and the overall price action seems controlled. Whether it breaks out this time or not, the setup is undeniably shifting fast. Adding to the momentum narrative, Bloomberg reports that $11 trillion asset manager Vanguard will begin to allow clients to access their XRP ETFs starting from tomorrow. Meanwhile, the US spot crypto ETF flows on December 1st came in at a solid $90+ million. As a result of the setup, Henry has suggested that the next major target sits around $2.20 region if the market confirms the move. An inverted look at the XRP chart over the last six weeks reveals a textbook 3-drive pattern, a formation that has constantly preceded major reversal events in crypto. According to Dom, the translation into a higher low has finally formed, which hints at the first sign that a trend change could be developing. However, bulls need to regain the monthly RVWAP around the $2.22 region, and holding above this area would mark a significant shift in structure, opening the door for a continuation rally towards the $2.50 range. The order books are clear enough that, if momentum is going to flip, this is the time. If this price setup fails to hold this structure and slips back below $2.00, Don warns that the end of the year could turn less favorable. Why Exchange Balance Is The Ultimate Supply Metric The Co-founder of Tedlabsio, trader and investor Niels, pointed out that XRP has just flashed one of the strongest bullish signals seen in the current market cycle. Over the past two months, roughly 45% of the XRP supply held on exchanges has been withdrawn and moved off trading platforms. Related Reading: What The Rapid XRP Outlfows From Crypto Exchanges Mean For The Price A drop in exchange supply this sharp only happens when the smart money is accumulating heavily. When the supply available on the exchange reduces, the selling pressure reduces, and this is how big moves begin. Niels believes that XRP is entering that phase where most people haven’t noticed yet. Featured image from Pexels, chart from Tradingview.com
Bitcoin has surged back above $93,000 as traders brace for next week’s Federal Reserve decision amid lingering macro uncertainty.
Bitocin treasury companies continue to accumulate a significant amount of BTC despite current market conditions and now control around 5% of the total BTC supply. These companies are led by Michael Saylor’s Strategy and Metaplanet, which have recently raised fresh capital to buy the dip. Bitcoin Treasury Companies Now Hold Over 1 Million In BTC Bitcoin Treasuries data shows that the top 100 public Bitcoin treasury companies currently hold 1,058,929 BTC, while all public companies combined hold 1,061,697. Notably, Strategy is the largest public Bitcoin holder with 650,000 BTC. Michael Saylor’s company yesterday announced another 130 BTC purchase for $11.7 million. Related Reading: Strategy’s Crash Rumors Intensify, CEO Reveals When $46 Billion In Bitcoin Will Be Sold Meanwhile, the second-largest Bitcoin treasury company is BTC miner MARA holdings, which holds 53,250 BTC. Tether-backed Twenty One Capital, Metaplanet, and Bitcoin Standard Treasury Company complete the top 5, with 43,514, 30,823, and 30,021 BTC, respectively. Meanwhile, companies like Coinbase, Bullish, and Trump Media are among the top 10 largest BTC treasury companies. It is worth noting that these public companies account for only a part of the Bitcoin treasuries. Further data from Bitcoin Treasuries shows that there is currently 4 million BTC in treasuries as a whole, including the coins held by governments, private companies, exchanges, DeFi platforms, and ETFs. BlackRock is currently the second-largest Bitcoin holder, only behind Satoshi Nakamoto. Strategy is third on the list, while Binance and the U.S. government complete the top 5, with BTC holdings of 628,868 and 323,588, respectively. The 4 million BTC held by these treasury companies as a group accounts for 19% of the total Bitcoin supply. Bitcoin treasury companies such as Strategy and Metaplanet have raised new capital amid the recent crash to buy more BTC. Saylor’s company recently raised $836 million from its STRE offering, which it used to buy 8,178 BTC. Meanwhile, Metaplanet raised $130 million to expand its BTC treasury. More Companies Set To Adopt Bitcoin More Bitcoin treasury companies are set to emerge as $10 trillion asset manager, Vanguard, will start offering BTC ETFs from today. Notably, some companies gain BTC exposure through these ETFs rather than buying Bitcoin directly. On-chain analytics platform Arkham Intelligence revealed that the largest U.S. bank, JPMorgan, holds $300 million worth of BlackRock’s BTC ETF. Related Reading: Analyst Who Predicted Bitcoin Price Action With Chinese Astrology Shares When Prices Will Surge Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that Bitcoin treasuries such as Strategy are coming under immense pressure amid the current market downtrend. Strategy’s CEO, Phong Le, admitted that they might have to sell Bitcoin as a last resort to fund dividend payments if their mNAV drops below 1x and they can no longer raise capital. At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price is trading at around $87,000, up in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Pngtree, chart from Tradingview.com
On Dec. 2, Vanguard will reportedly open its massive brokerage platform to spot Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Solana exchange-traded funds (ETFs). This strategic volte-face ends the asset manager’s steadfast isolation from the $3 trillion digital asset market. For years, Vanguard stood as the most prominent holdout of the crypto space, driven by a philosophy that […]
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Vanguard's platform services more than "50 million brokerage customers" who manage "over $11 trillion," Bloomberg said.
The move will give access to the firm's 50 million clients to invest in regulated digital asset ETFs, a reversal from Vanguard's long-standing anti-crypto stance.
Vanguard is preparing to loosen restrictions on crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The move, first reported on Sept. 26 by Crypto in America, would represent a sharp departure for a firm that has consistently distanced itself from digital assets. The $10 trillion asset manager has historically taken a cautious approach, barring clients from buying Bitcoin ETFs […]
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"Institutional dementia," said the top digital asset researcher at spot bitcoin ETF provider Van Eck.
However, the impressive flows from BlackRock’s IBIT and Fidelity’s FBTC haven’t been enough to gain on the leading ETF asset manager by total flows, Vanguard.
Vanguard keeps investments like Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs out of its offerings. Its decision is debatable but not new.
The post Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs still off the table for Vanguard – it’s not surprising appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
Salim Ramji wants to stick with Vanguard’s investment philosophy which excludes offering Bitcoin as it is too speculative an asset.
Bitcoin prices are firm, steady above $60,000 despite the ultra-high selling pressure that saw it dump double digits from all-time highs. Despite the current development, one analyst, @el_crypto_prof, is bullish, predicting a welcomed price surge based on the BBWP indicator’s development. Signal Flashes Blue, Time To Buy Bitcoin? Taking to X, the analyst noted that […]
The former BlackRock executive is replacing outgoing CEO Tim Buckley, effective July 8.
Vanguard CEO Tim Buckley is resisting customer pressure to offer a spot Bitcoin ETF despite several of the firm’s competitors already offering them.
Vanguard, one of the largest asset managers in the world, is preventing customers from buying the newly approved bitcoin ETFs.