New Spot Funds Accumulate 200,000 BTC in Under a Month

• New spot Bitcoin ETFs, led by BlackRock’s IBIT and Fidelity’s FBTC, have quickly amassed over 200,000 BTC, showcasing growing investor confidence in Bitcoin.

• The rise of spot Bitcoin ETFs coincides with a bullish trend in Bitcoin’s price, indicating a shift toward mainstream acceptance of cryptocurrencies as investment vehicles.

In just under a month of trading, the latest addition to the cryptocurrency investment landscape, nine newborn spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), have collectively accumulated more than 200,000 BTC in assets under management (AUM), excluding Grayscale’s converted GBTC fund.

Among the newcomers, BlackRock’s IBIT and Fidelity’s FBTC have distinguished themselves as market leaders, securing top positions with their substantial Bitcoin holdings. According to data from K33 Research, among the new ETFs, BlackRock’s IBIT holds the highest assets under management. Additionally, according to data from BitMEX Research, over 80,000 BTC (approximately $3.7 billion), followed closely by Fidelity’s FBTC, which boasts more than 68,000 BTC (approximately $3.2 billion).  

Same data in BTC terms… pic.twitter.com/999tMR8KVz

— BitMEX Research (@BitMEXResearch) February 9, 2024

This rapid accumulation demonstrates these funds’ significant impact on the market and highlights their role in driving investor interest in cryptocurrency investments. Additionally, this accumulation represents nearly 1% of Bitcoin’s total supply of 21 million BTC, surpassing the holdings of major entities like MicroStrategy, Tether, and public Bitcoin miners combined.

The significance of these developments is underscored by Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas, who highlighted the remarkable performance of these ETFs. Not only have IBIT and FBTC rapidly ascended in the market, but they have also achieved this feat in a domain traditionally ruled by long-standing financial products. This achievement is further reflected in their trading volumes, with BlackRock’s IBIT recently surpassing Grayscale’s spot Bitcoin ETF in daily transactions, a notable achievement given Grayscale’s established presence in the cryptocurrency investment.

Here’s a look at the Top 25 ETFs by assets after 1 month on the market (out of 5,535 total launches in 30yrs). $IBIT and $FBTC in league of own w/ over $3b each and they still have two days to go. $ARKB and $BITB also made list. pic.twitter.com/Yyi1nxukUk

— Eric Balchunas (@EricBalchunas) February 8, 2024

Market Dynamics and Competition 

BlackRock’s IBIT has outpaced Grayscale’s GBTC in trading volume, registering $481.6 million compared to GBTC’s $373.9 million on a recent trading day. Fidelity’s FBTC follows closely in third place with $246.6 million in trading volume.

In terms of market share, GBTC’s spot Bitcoin ETF has seen a decline from a peak of 63.9% on Jan. 17 to 29.1% as of the most recent data. The newborn ETFs experienced a robust day for inflows, with IBIT and FBTC adding $204.1 million and $128.3 million, respectively, while GBTC registered $101.6 million in outflows. Overall, the net inflows for the day totaled $405 million, contributing to a total net inflow of over $2.1 billion into Bitcoin investment vehicles globally.

A Bullish Trend for Bitcoin

These developments coincide with a positive trend in Bitcoin’s price, which has gained 4.3% over the past 24 hours, 9% over the last week, and 10.7% year-to-date. This surge in Bitcoin ETFs and the accompanying increase in assets under management reflects growing investor interest and confidence in the cryptocurrency market.

The introduction of these new Bitcoin ETFs has coincided with a bullish trend in Bitcoin’s market value, which recently saw the cryptocurrency trading above $47,000. This surge in value aligns with the increased trading volumes of the new ETFs, suggesting a positive market response to the availability of Bitcoin as an investable asset through traditional financial instruments.

Notably, analyst Vetle Lunde highlighted the strength of the recent net inflow into Bitcoin investment vehicles, marking a significant moment of maturity for the cryptocurrency market. With approximately 4.52% of the circulating BTC supply now held by investment vehicles, the crypto investments’ landscape shows increased institutional participation and market maturity.

There we have it! The new nine have amassed more than 200k BTC.

Second-strongest daily U.S. spot flow since launch yesterday.

Since launch, the total net inflow to U.S. spot ETFs sits at a massive 51,134 BTC. pic.twitter.com/6RFugg7jZO

— Vetle Lunde (@VetleLunde) February 9, 2024