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In the dynamic financial sector, Bitcoin ETFs are rapidly gaining ground against their gold counterparts, with inflows pushing total assets under management toward record highs. Bitcoin ETFs are set to overtake gold ETFs in total assets under management.

Bitcoin ETFs Cement Role As Institutional Gateway To Crypto

Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) are on the brink of making history globally. In an X post, the Kobeissi Letter, an industry-leading commentary on global capital markets, has revealed that BTC ETFs are on track to surpass Gold ETFs in assets under management (AUM) for the first time in history, marking a historic milestone in global markets. Over the past 12 months, AUM in the largest cryptocurrency ETFs has doubled to $150 billion, while gold ETFs have climbed 40% to a record of $180 billion.

The comparison highlights how rapidly momentum has shifted. Just three years ago, gold ETFs were five times larger than Bitcoin ETFs. Presently, with accelerating inflows into digital asset products, that gap is narrowing at a historic speed. 

If current trends continue, Bitcoin ETFs could surpass gold ETFs as early as next year. This is a symbolic flip that underscores the rise of crypto from speculative asset to mainstream portfolio allocation.

Lately, ETFs are proving to be the engine behind the current crypto bull market. According to Ucan_Coin, BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, oversees nearly 2,000 funds, with about 1,400 of them being ETFs. Clients buy into these funds, while BlackRock earns fees on the assets under management.

However, the Bitcoin Spot ETF fee is just 0.25%, but the power lies in scale and liquidity. Over the last two years, ETFs have provided the critical fuel for this rally, with nearly 20% of all liquidity entering crypto now flowing directly from ETF products.

As Ucan_Coin highlights, BlackRock’s IBIT stands out. As the chart demonstrates, IBIT is the locomotive pulling the entire market, driving inflows and setting the pace for the broader bull run.

ETF Inflows Signal Rising Institutional Appetite For Bitcoin

The US spot Bitcoin ETFs are gaining remarkable momentum, while generating $5 to $10 billion in daily volume on their most active trading days. Pushpendra Singh, Co-founder of PushpendraTech and SmartViewAi, has explained that this surge is a clear sign that institutional investors are increasingly seeking regulated exposure to Bitcoin, and ETFs are rapidly becoming their preferred gateway.

Despite the ETF boom, Binance continues to dominate the spot market, processing between $10 to $18 billion in daily spot volume and holding a 29% market share. This is more than double the 13% market share currently held by US-based ETFs, and it puts Binance comfortably ahead of other major exchanges in terms of liquidity.

Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com

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Crypto Journalist

Amin Ayan

Crypto Journalist

Amin Ayan

About Author

Amin Ayan is a crypto journalist with over four years of experience in the industry. He has contributed to leading publications such as Cryptonews, Investing.com, 99Bitcoins, and 24/7 Wall St. He has…

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August 18, 2025

Digital asset investment products recorded $3.75 billion in inflows last week, the fourth-largest on record, signaling a sharp rebound in institutional appetite after weeks of muted sentiment.

The surge was highly concentrated, with iShares capturing the bulk of the flows through a single product, according to a Monday report from CoinShares.

Total assets under management (AuM) climbed to a record $244 billion on August 13, boosted by price gains across major cryptocurrencies.

US Accounts for 99% of $3.75B Crypto Inflows

The United States dominated activity, accounting for 99% of inflows ($3.73 billion).

Canada ($33.7 million), Hong Kong ($20.9 million), and Australia ($12.1 million) posted smaller contributions, while Brazil and Sweden recorded outflows of $10.6 million and $49.9 million, respectively.

Ethereum led the charge with $2.87 billion in inflows, representing 77% of the weekly total and pushing its year-to-date inflows to a record $11 billion.

By comparison, Bitcoin drew $552 million last week, with YTD inflows representing just 11.6% of its AuM versus Ethereum’s 29%.

Other altcoins also attracted strong interest. Solana saw $176.5 million in inflows, and XRP $125.9 million.

Meanwhile, Litecoin and Ton suffered small outflows of $0.4 million and $1 million, highlighting a continued concentration of investor interest in larger-cap digital assets.

Notably, spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs recorded their busiest week ever, according to Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas.

In just four trading days, trading volumes hit $40 billion, with Ether ETFs accounting for $17 billion — a new weekly record.

“ETHSANITY: Ether ETFs weekly volume was about $17 billion, blowing away [the] record, man did it wake up in July,” Balchunas wrote on X.

Nate Geraci, president of ETF firm NovaDius, echoed the sentiment, noting that spot Ether ETFs “absolutely obliterated” their prior record. He added: “Wonder if there are any ‘no demand’ naysayers still out there.”

Grayscale Moves Forward With Dogecoin ETF Plan

As reported, Grayscale is pushing ahead with its bid to launch a Dogecoin exchange-traded fund, revealing the ticker “GDOG” in its latest US Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

The company said Friday it plans to rename its existing Grayscale Dogecoin Trust to the Grayscale Dogecoin Trust ETF.

If approved, the fund would list on NYSE Arca, which has already filed paperwork to support the listing. “The Shares are expected to be listed on NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol ‘GDOG,’” the filing stated.

Grayscale’s proposal enters a crowded field. Competitors Rex-Osprey and Bitwise have also submitted applications for similar products as the SEC weighs dozens of crypto ETF requests.

Recent filings cover a wide spectrum, from SOL- to XRP-tracking funds, reflecting a shifting regulatory climate under the Trump administration.

BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) is rapidly cementing its status as the most dominant BTC fund among its peers.

Bitcoin analyst James Check highlighted the divergence in a June 29 X post, noting that total inflows across all other Bitcoin ETFs have stagnated around $20 billion since December 2024.

In contrast, IBIT alone has drawn over $52 billion in cumulative inflows since its launch, solidifying its dominance in the space.

He further pointed out that this trend is reflected in weekly inflow data, where IBIT attracts the lion’s share of new investments and shows minimal outflows compared to competitors.

Check wrote:

“Dominance for all other ETFs in terms of total AUM has been in constant decline, initially dominated by GTBTC outflows, but more recently due to a clear preference for IBIT by investors.”

This matches data from Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas, who noted that based on year-to-date inflows, IBIT now ranks as the fourth-largest ETF in the US.

According to Balchunas’ data, IBIT has leapfrogged over SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPLG) and is closing in on heavyweights like Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI).

As of June 23, IBIT had recorded $13.7 billion in inflows, which is ahead of SPLG’s $13.4 billion but below VTI’s $19.3 billion.

He also highlighted IBIT’s outlier status, noting that the fund is “the fifth in three-year flows (despite only being alive for 1.5 years).”

These inflows helped the fund cross $70 billion in assets under management (AUM) in just 341 trading days, the fastest rate for any US ETF.

IBIT becomes BlackRock’s most profitable ETF

This breakout performance has translated into significant financial gains for BlackRock.

Nate Geraci, president of ETF Store, pointed out that IBIT generates $186 million annually in fee revenue, surpassing even IVV (BlackRock’s flagship S&P 500 ETF) by $3 million.

According to Arkham Intelligence, this milestone is particularly noteworthy given that IVV is nearly ten times larger than IBIT in terms of assets under management.

The shift signals a broader change in institutional behavior. BlackRock, long associated with traditional equity markets, is now seeing more fee revenue from its Bitcoin ETF than from legacy stock-based products.

Mentioned in this article

The BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Liquitidity Fund, known as “Buidl,” surpasses its $1 billion in managed assets (AUM), according to a company announcement on Thursday (March 13).

This is a significant milestone for the tokenization sector as the first tokenized fund issued by the Wall Street facility to reach the multi-billion dollar milestone.

On-Chain Finance is here #builtonbuidl
We’re excited to announce it @BlackRock Tokenized by Securitize, the USD Institutional Digital Liquitidity Fund (BUIDL) has reached a $1 billion assets under management (AUM).

This shows an important milestone for… pic.twitter.com/gt66kdz2kx

– securitize (@securitize) March 13, 2025

BlackRock’s Buidl funds have reached $1 billion

Buidl was launched in March 2024, with BlackRock’s first tokenized fund being issued on a public blockchain. With AUM of over $11 trillion, the world’s largest asset manager offers qualified investors the ability to win on-chain US dollar yields.

Yields are paid daily via dividends earned through baskets in the Short-Term Treasury Reserve. The Buidl Token is fixed in US dollars. This means it acts like a revenue-raising alternative to Stablecoins such as USDT and USDC.

Until yesterday, Hashnote’s USYC was listed as the world’s largest tokenized money market fund, backed by the tokenized Treasury Ministry. Defillama data shows USYC’s AUM is $851.81 million, while Buidl is over $1 billion.

Leading the path to tokenized asset projects, Buidl looks at two of the best RWA cryptocurrencies that everyone should consider as part of a balanced portfolio.

Discovery: Will Popcat Crypto make a comeback? The price of a pop cat shows the first signs of life for weeks

Best RWA Crypto #1: Ondo Finance (Ondo) – A market leading to tokenized asset platforms

(Coinecko)

Ondo Finance (Ondo) continues to grow. Like Buidl, Ondo has now surpassed Total-Value locked $1 billion, the largest TVL for individual real-world assets (RWA) projects.

Ondo’s TVL growth is incredible, with the latest spikes exceeding $1 billion, up 53% per month. This emphasizes two things. One is the market’s appetite for investment in the RWA sector. Second, Ondo’s exponential TVL growth demonstrates its position as a major tokenized asset project in the market.

Ondo’s bullish catalyst doesn’t seem to be over as the team delivered roadmap targets non-stop. It also supports Ondo owns both BlackRock’s Buidl fund and President Trump’s Global Free Finance Project.

Ondo is currently trading at around $0.87, with many analysts hoping to surge towards its February high of $1.42 as a short-term price target. RWA sentiment continues to grow and Ondo is already well positioned The blue chip project within the sector is hoping to return to its previous all-time high of $2 in the coming months.

Best RWA Crypto #2: Landshare (Land) – A hidden gem that leads the way in BNB chain utility projects

Winners pay attention to promising projects!

The final dip before Full Send is here!

I have a complete belief $ Land. Real estate tokenization grows exponentially, and land share is pic.twitter.com/DR7QEUX79X

– Luke Mayfield (@may2_luke) February 28, 2025

Landshare (Land) has over four years of real estate tokenization experience, making him one of the more established and experienced RWA teams. It’s a low cap low supply project while maintaining this status.

The land tokens are built on top of the Binance Smart chain. With chains well known for their meme coins such as Broccoli, Landshare stands out as one of the best utilities-focused projects in the Binance Smart chain.

By retaining the land, investors have access to the purchase, renovation and final sale of crowdsourced properties. Investors can purchase and hold shares in rental properties by holding tokens. This is an attractive opportunity for those looking for decentralized passive income and real estate exposure.

The land is currently trading at around $0.62 per token, representing a true microcap with a market capitalization of just $3.5 million. With the team’s long-standing presence and continued product delivery, LandShare represents a truly underrated RWA play.

(Coinecko)

Explore: Best New Cryptocurrencies to Invest in 2025

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Post BlackRock RWA Fund ‘Buidl’ exceeded $1 billion AUM. The best RWA Crypto to buy in 2025? It first appeared in 99 Bitcoin.