Ethereum ETFs gain $73M as Bitcoin ETFs shed $196M

The US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) continued to bleed for the fourth straight day, losing $196 million on August 5 alone. On the other side, Ethereum ETFs saw $73.22 million in net inflows, decoupling from Bitcoin-linked sentiments. ETH ETFs were largely driven by BlackRock’s ETHA, which absorbed nearly $89 million on the day.

The retreat from Bitcoin ETFs comes amid growing fears of stagflation in the US economy. It follows fresh ISM Services PMI data showing inflationary pressure from tariffs, weakening employment, and trade disruptions. The digital assets market remains marginally stable on Wednesday morning, hovering around the $3.73 trillion cap.

Bitcoin stumbles, Ethereum roars

On-chain data shows that Fidelity’s FBTC led the slide with nearly $100 million in outflows. BlackRock’s IBIT reported $77.42 million of outflows, while Grayscale’s GBTC posted $19.65 million of withdrawals. Last week, BTC ETFs saw $643 million flowing out, while more than $529 million has been drained out from the funds.

After a recent all-time high-touching rally, Bitcoin has dropped back to the $113K-$114 zone. BTC price is down by 3.4% in the last 7 days, but it has still managed to hold gains of 4.8% over the past 30 days. The original crypto is trading at an average price of $114,081 at press time.

Ethereum ETFs’ comeback was mainly backed by BlackRock’s ETHA. However, VanEck ETHV and 21Shares’s CETH posted $5.24 million and $3.57 million influx, respectively. Grayscale’s ETHE saw $10.91 million leave the fund. With printing green index on Tuesday, ETH ETFs have broken the 2 days streak of outflows. July turned out to be the biggest month of Ethereum ETFs as it docked $5.43 billion.

Ethereum has largely outperformed Bitcoin over the last month. ETH price surged by 40% in the last 30 days, on the other hand, BTC remained up by just 4%. Ether is trading at an average price of $3,614 at press time.

SBI bets big on Bitcoin, XRP

ETFs fever seems to be growing globally. Japan’s largest banking group SBI Holdings is making a major push into crypto ETFs. The firm revealed it has applied to list two crypto-related ETFs with the country’s Financial Services Agency. The first will hold direct exposure to Bitcoin and XRP, while the second is dubbed “Digital Gold Crypto ETF.” This will mix gold-backed securities with digital assets. The ETFs are expected to be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

SBI has long been a Ripple ally, and the move is seen as part of its broader strategy to bridge digital assets with the traditional financial system. If approved, these will be Japan’s first publicly traded crypto ETFs. It will potentially set a regulatory precedent in Asia.

On the market side, XRP price is up by 41% on a year-to-date (YTD) basis, despite being dragged down by 7% in the past 7 days. XRP is trading at an average price of $2.92 at press time after hitting $3.6 in July.

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