Key Insights:
- NYSE Arca issues regulatory clearance to Bitwise’s Chainlink ETF, paving the way for more institutional flows.
- Chainlink’s growing role in predictive markets and institutional-grade data for the RWA markets.
- LINK crypto’s slow grind underscores potential pivot in larger time frames.
Last year, the spot ETF segment got quite heated, and 2026 is shaping up to be even more exciting. Spot Chainlink ETF is building up momentum courtesy of the latest approval.
The NYSE Arca just gave listing approval to Bitwise’s spot Chainlink (LINK) ETF. This makes it the latest spot ETF to be listed on the NYSE, where it is scheduled to commence trading on Thursday.
The Bitwise Chainlink ETF is the second spot ETF for the LINK coin after Grayscale’s ETF which was approved in December 2025. This latest approval highlights growing institutional exposure.
Chainlink has been establishing itself as a key infrastructure for the blockchain industry. This is one of the key reasons for its institutional appeal. More Chainlink ETF filings are expected in the coming months.
A Dive into Bitwise Chainlink ETF
Bitwise’s Chainlink ETF push has been leaning heavily on the network’s strategic positioning. During a recent interview, Ryan Rasmussen, the head of research and asset management director at Bitwise, described Chainlink as a critical infrastructure for predictive markets.
His statement underscored Chainlink’s essential role in the market in facilitating access to data in WEB3. The network has been striking key partnerships aimed at ensuring data accessibility.
One of those partnerships was with GMTrade, which aims to provide institutional-grade data for the RWAs where high data integrity is critical. This also means Chainlink is positioning itself to take advantage of the growth opportunities in the rapidly-growing RWAs segment.
This positioning could be the key reason why demand for exposure to Chainlink has been rising. The big question now is whether this will be a setup for Chainlink’s native coin LINK to be one of the best-performing cryptocurrencies in 2026.
LINK Price Struggles to Exit the Bottom Range
LINK price pushed as high as $14.20 in the last 24 hours after rallying over 7%. However, the cryptocurrency remained stuck within its short-term bottom range, where it has been stuck for the last few months.
Chainlink (LINK) price has been stuck within the bottom range since mid-November. However, its weekly chart signals that it may be gradually building momentum in favor of a bullish recovery, after previously maintaining a steep downtrend since August last year.
Interestingly, LINK’s RSI just crossed above its RSI-based MA for the first time since mid-September. The last time such a crossing occurred after a sizable downtrend was in June, after which LINK price rallied by more than 100%.
These observations suggest that Chainlink price could be on the cusp of a recovery rally. However, that would require a healthy demand wave to push for a solid recovery.
LINK spot flow data revealed that sell pressure has been cooling. However, inflows remained weak, hence the lack of a significant recovery. Large order book data also revealed limited demand from the whale cohort.
Meanwhile, on the derivatives segment, open interest recovered slightly from a 4-week low of $507 million to $672 million at the time of observation. This signaled that derivatives investors were building up confidence, albeit gradually.
The recent Chainlink ETF approval for listing on the NYSE could be the trigger that brings back attention to LINK. The crypto could be on the verge of a solid recovery in the next few weeks if market conditions allow.