American spot exchange-traded funds for Bitcoin and Ethereum demonstrated a record weekly capital inflow, with comparable figures last seen only in October 2025. Over five trading sessions from August 17 to 21, these instruments received $2.6 billion.
The bulk of the inflow went to Bitcoin funds, which attracted $1.92 billion. Ethereum ETFs also showed strong momentum, adding $697.18 million, more than offsetting the $391.96 million outflow recorded the previous week. This signals a return of risk appetite among institutional investors.
Record activity in 10 months
Bitcoin funds attracted capital for five consecutive days. The peak came on August 20, when funds received $606 million in a single day — the highest figure since May of this year. Trading activity also surged sharply: weekly trading volume in Bitcoin ETFs reached $22.15 billion, nearly three times the levels of the previous week.
Notably, this week broke a prolonged streak of outflows. The cumulative net inflow into Bitcoin funds since their launch peaked in October 2025 at $62.77 billion, before declining to $53.71 billion. The current surge suggests the beginning of a recovery phase.
Ethereum funds also posted their best result since October: on August 20, they attracted $220.77 million in a single day. Nevertheless, the total assets under management of these ETFs remain 53% below the historical peak recorded in August 2025.
Despite the positive momentum of recent days, both classes of funds remain in negative territory since the start of the year. Investors have withdrawn $2.91 billion from Bitcoin ETFs and $177.93 million from Ethereum-based products.
Asset growth exceeded inflows by 9 times
Inflows alone do not explain the picture. Assets in both categories appreciated by approximately $23 billion, while investors contributed only $2.6 billion during this period. The value of Bitcoin funds, excluding new inflows, rose by 22.9%, and Ethereum funds by 29.2%. The main jump occurred over three trading days from August 19 to 21, indicating a significant role of revaluation of the coins themselves, not just new money.
At the time of analysis, Bitcoin was trading around $76,230, and Ethereum at $2,406.
Altcoin funds continue their rally
Demand is also spreading to other digital assets. The leader among altcoin ETFs was the XRP fund with an inflow of $39.78 million and record weekly trading volume of $271.74 million. Solana-based products secured second place with $28.34 million — this is already the eighth consecutive week of positive momentum. Chainlink funds attracted $13.35 million, marking the second-best result since their launch in December 2025.
Hyperliquid ETFs added $3.89 million, and their total asset value reached a record $360.39 million. Dogecoin funds round out the list with a result of $654,416.
My view: the current surge is not merely a correction after outflows, but a signal of restored institutional confidence in cryptoassets as an asset class. However, it is worth remembering that a significant portion of the growth is driven by market revaluation, not new inflows. This means the sustainability of the trend will directly depend on Bitcoin's and Ethereum's ability to hold current price levels.