U.S. Crypto ETFs See Big Gains as Investors Return

On December 30, U.S. crypto ETFs brought in a strong $443 million in inflows, signaling renewed investor interest across major digital assets. This comeback follows a period of outflows due to year-end tax strategies and portfolio rebalancing.

Bitcoin ETFs Bounce Back With $355 Million Inflows

After seven straight days of losses, Bitcoin ETFs finally saw a turnaround with $355 million in net inflows, based on data from SoSoValue. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) led the charge with $143.8 million, followed by ARK 21Shares’ ARKB at $109.6 million and Fidelity’s FBTC with $78.6 million.

This rebound comes after Bitcoin ETFs lost nearly $500 million the previous week. Experts believe this inflow signals growing institutional interest and confidence, even in a market that’s been under pressure.

Ethereum and Other Altcoins Join the Party

Ethereum spot ETFs also turned positive, collecting $67.84 million after seeing over $102 million in outflows earlier in December. This marks a key shift as investors begin to revisit altcoins.

XRP ETFs continued their strong performance, adding $15.55 million. They’ve now had 29 straight days of inflows since launching in November, pushing total net inflows past the $1 billion mark.

Solana ETFs contributed an additional $5.21 million, showing that growth-focused investors are still betting on high-potential altcoins.

Bitwise Files for 11 New Crypto ETFs Focused on AI and DeFi

Bitwise is doubling down on future trends with filings for 11 new ETFs targeting tokens in the artificial intelligence (AI) and decentralized finance (DeFi) sectors. These include Aave (AAVE), Ethena (ENA), Hyperliquid (HYPE), Bittensor (TAO), Tron (TRX), Uniswap (UNI), NEAR Protocol (NEAR), Starknet (STRK), Sui (SUI), Canton (CC), and Zcash (ZEC).

Each ETF will invest up to 60% of its holdings directly in the underlying token, with the rest in futures, swaps, or other exchange-traded products.

Bitwise has already made headlines by launching the first spot Solana ETF in October, followed by XRP and Dogecoin ETFs in November.

Grayscale Eyes First Spot ETF for Bittensor

Grayscale is also making moves by filing to convert its Bittensor Trust into a spot ETF, aiming to offer direct exposure to the TAO token. If approved, this would be the first U.S.-listed spot ETF focused on Bittensor.

The ETF will trade under the ticker symbol GTAO on NYSE Arca, with Coinbase Custody Trust and BitGo Trust handling custody of the assets.

What’s Next for Crypto ETFs?

According to Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan, Bitcoin could break away from its usual four-year price cycle and reach new all-time highs by 2026. He expects falling interest rates and more institutional investment to drive this growth.

The push into AI and DeFi-themed ETFs shows that major investors are now looking beyond just Bitcoin and Ethereum, as regulatory conditions become clearer.

Crypto markets may have slowed in Q4, but momentum is picking up again—and the next wave of innovation might come from altcoins tied to AI and DeFi.