The long-anticipated approval of altcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) may not yield the substantial inflows investors are hoping for without involvement from asset management leader BlackRock, according to market data.
BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF secured $28.1 billion in investments in 2025, being the sole fund with positive year-to-date (YTD) inflows, which raised total spot Bitcoin ETF inflows to a collective $26.9 billion.
In the absence of BlackRock’s fund, the spot Bitcoin ETFs experienced a cumulative net outflow of $1.27 billion year-to-date, according to Vetle Lunde, head of research at K33.
The inflows from spot Bitcoin ETFs were the main catalyst for Bitcoin (BTC) price momentum in 2025, noted Geoff Kendrick, Standard Chartered’s global head of digital assets research, in a recent interview with Cointelegraph.
BlackRock holds the title of the world’s largest asset management firm, boasting $13.5 trillion in assets under management as of the third quarter of 2025.
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BlackRock’s absence may deflate the altcoin ETF celebration
Reflecting on the trends observed in Bitcoin ETF investments, Lunde suggests that BlackRock’s lack of participation in the altcoin ETF surge may restrict total inflows and lessen their potential positive influence on the underlying cryptocurrencies.
“No BlackRock, no party,” Lunde expressed on X. “BlackRock is missing from the upcoming altcoin ETF wave. This presents a chance for competitors to capture significant inflows, but overall, it will likely limit total flows.”
Related: Crypto treasuries draw $800B from altcoins, a trend that could be ‘forever’
While the absence of the world’s biggest asset manager raises concerns, some analysts are still hopeful regarding the future of ETFs.
For instance, the inaugural Solana (SOL) staking ETF could attract up to $6 billion in capital within its first year, stated Ryan Lee, chief analyst at Bitget exchange, in a conversation with Cointelegraph.
Global investment bank JPMorgan has also forecasted that a Solana ETF could draw between $3 billion and $6 billion, while an XRP ETF could bring in approximately $4 billion to $8 billion in new investments, based on the acceptance rates of Bitcoin and Ether ETFs.
Bitcoin ETFs had a 6% adoption rate, while Ether ETFs had about 3% during their first six months, indicating that Bitcoin ETFs garnered around 6% of BTC’s total market capitalization during that time.
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