ETFs Attract $1.5B as Trading Volumes Drop 10%

Key Points

• Stablecoin market cap rose $6.65B while DEX trading volumes fell 10% week-over-week.
• Bitcoin ETFs saw $440.7M inflows, while Ethereum ETFs attracted $1.08B, showing strong institutional interest.
• CRO surged 77.6% and NMR 73.7%, while TROLL and BIO posted steep declines above 35%.

The crypto market showed divergence last week as decentralized exchange volumes dropped while stablecoins recorded significant growth. DEX trading volume fell nearly 10%, but stablecoin capitalization increased by $6.65B, suggesting fresh inflows.

Ethereum led with $5.72B in stablecoin growth, while Solana added nearly $999M. This rise offset declining exchange activity and reflected renewed demand for liquidity.

Spot trading volume on DEXs totalled $114.43B, marking a 9.12% decline week-over-week. Uniswap contributed $30.62B, PancakeSwap $13.87B, and Hyperliquid $7.40B.

Perpetual trading volume reached $148.65B, falling 10.80% compared to the prior week. Hyperliquid processed $88.09B, while edgeX and Jupiter recorded $9.99B and $6.05B respectively.

Institutional Activity and Whale Rotation

Institutions remained active, with six listed firms purchasing 2,329.29 BTC worth $253M. This reflected continued institutional appetite despite volatile conditions.

Meanwhile, a major Bitcoin OG shifted billions from BTC into ETH. Since August 20, he sold 35,991 BTC worth $4.04B.

The same wallet bought 886,371 ETH valued at $4.07B at a 0.0406 rate via Hyperliquid. Despite sales, he still holds 49,634 BTC worth $5.43B.

El Salvador expanded reserves by adding 8 BTC, reinforcing its ongoing accumulation strategy. Japan Post Bank also announced plans to launch a digital currency in 2026.

ETF participation continued to rise, with $440.71M flowing into Bitcoin ETFs and $1.08B into Ethereum ETFs. This marked one of Ethereum’s strongest institutional inflows to date.

Token Performance and Community Highlights

The market raised $362.13M in funding last week while tokens posted wide divergences. CRO gained 77.6%, followed by NMR (+73.7%), and VVS (+67.9%).

PYTH advanced 47.3%, while GEMS closed the week up 41.5%. These gains reflected strong momentum across mid-cap and ecosystem tokens.

On the downside, TROLL dropped 39.9%, with BIO (-37.6%), ONT (-34.6%), ZORA (-33.1%), and MEME (-28%) also suffering heavy losses.

Community activity was fueled by airdrops and launches including Mitosis, CAP, Bitlayer, Inspect, and Camp Network. Additional events featured Huma Finance, Blockchain.com, and 8lends.

New token listings included FOREST, BORNE, CNV, HEDGE, ORBITX, and RTX, adding fresh opportunities for traders. These combined developments highlighted both institutional growth and high retail-driven volatility.