Crypto ETFs See Heavy Outflows To Nearly $1B as Volatility Spikes
U.S.-listed spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs recorded one of their worst combined outflow days of 2026 as falling prices and rising volatility pushed institutional investors to cut exposure. Nearly $1 billion exited crypto ETFs in a single session, signaling a sharp shift in institutional sentiment toward digital assets.
According to data from SoSoValue, Bitcoin ETFs alone saw $817.9 million in outflows on January 29, marking their largest single-day withdrawal since November 20. Ethereum ETFs followed with $155.6 million in outflows. The heavy selling coincided with a broader crypto market downturn, where Bitcoin dropped below $85,000, briefly fell to $81,000, and later recovered to around $83,000. Ethereum also declined by about 6% within 24 hours.
Other spot crypto ETFs were not spared. XRP ETFs experienced notable outflows totaling $92.92 million, while Solana ETFs saw relatively minor withdrawals of $2.22 million, suggesting selective risk reduction rather than rotation into alternative crypto assets. This pattern indicates that institutions are broadly pulling back from crypto exposure rather than reallocating within the sector.
Dollar Liquidity Tightens, Pressuring Bitcoin Prices
Among individual funds, BlackRock’s IBIT suffered the largest loss with $317.8 million in outflows, followed by Fidelity’s FBTC at $168 million. On the Ethereum side, BlackRock’s ETHA lost $54.9 million, while Fidelity’s FETH recorded $59.2 million in outflows. This contrasts sharply with early January, when crypto ETFs consistently attracted fresh capital.
BitMEX founder Arthur Hayes linked Bitcoin’s price decline to a tightening of U.S. dollar liquidity. He noted that roughly $300 billion has been drained from markets in recent weeks, largely due to a $200 billion increase in the U.S. Treasury General Account (TGA). Hayes suggested the U.S. government may be building cash reserves in preparation for a potential government shutdown.
While Hayes previously predicted a Bitcoin rally driven by Federal Reserve intervention in Japan’s weakening yen, current market conditions have continued to deteriorate, weighing heavily on both crypto prices and ETF flows.
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