SecondLargest – Earlybirds Invest https://earlybirdsinvest.com Latest Crypto News Tue, 19 Aug 2025 09:03:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.7 https://i0.wp.com/earlybirdsinvest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cropped-New-Project-2024-12-17T235703.455.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 SecondLargest – Earlybirds Invest https://earlybirdsinvest.com 32 32 240146708 US Ethereum ETFs face second-largest outflow of $196.6 million in a day https://earlybirdsinvest.com/us-ethereum-etfs-face-second-largest-outflow-of-196-6-million-in-a-day/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/us-ethereum-etfs-face-second-largest-outflow-of-196-6-million-in-a-day/#respond Tue, 19 Aug 2025 09:03:55 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/us-ethereum-etfs-face-second-largest-outflow-of-196-6-million-in-a-day/

US spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) saw heavy redemptions on Aug. 18, with investors pulling $196.6 million in a single day.

Data from SoSoValue showed that this was the second-largest daily outflow since the products debuted and the fourth outflow this month.

According to the data, most of the day’s losses came from the two largest issuers. BlackRock’s ETHA accounted for the biggest drop, with around 20,000 ETH, or $86.9 million, leaving the product. Fidelity’s FETH trailed closely, seeing redemptions worth $78.4 million.

Ethereum ETFs Flow
Ethereum ETFs Flow in August (Source: SoSo Value)

Meanwhile, other issuers also recorded outflows, though on a smaller scale.

Grayscale’s Ethereum fund lost $18.7 million, Franklin Templeton’s EZET shed $6.6 million, VanEck’s ETHV saw $4.8 million in withdrawals, and Bitwise’s ETHW dropped by about $1 million.

The setback comes after an eight-day inflow streak during which investors added more than $3.7 billion to Ethereum ETFs.

However, despite the latest reversal, overall market momentum remains firmly positive.

According to SoSoValue data, cumulative net inflows into US Ethereum ETFs now exceed $12 billion, most of which have arrived over the past two months as institutional adoption has accelerated.

Together, the funds hold about $27.7 billion in assets under management, representing 5.34% of Ethereum’s total market capitalization.

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/us-ethereum-etfs-face-second-largest-outflow-of-196-6-million-in-a-day/feed/ 0 53970 Brevan Howard reports $2.3B Bitcoin exposure via BlackRock’s IBIT ETF, becoming second-largest holder https://earlybirdsinvest.com/brevan-howard-reports-2-3b-bitcoin-exposure-via-blackrocks-ibit-etf-becoming-second-largest-holder/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/brevan-howard-reports-2-3b-bitcoin-exposure-via-blackrocks-ibit-etf-becoming-second-largest-holder/#respond Sat, 16 Aug 2025 15:34:55 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/brevan-howard-reports-2-3b-bitcoin-exposure-via-blackrocks-ibit-etf-becoming-second-largest-holder/

Brevan Howard became the largest institutional shareholder of BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) by increasing its holdings by 71% between the first and second quarters of 2025.

According to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of its latest 13F form, the hedge fund now holds approximately 37.5 million IBIT shares valued at roughly $2.3 billion as of June 30, up from 21.9 million shares in the first quarter.

Additionally, Brevan Howard has a $25 million exposure to Bitcoin put calls through 400,000 shares of IBIT. The London-based firm’s dollar-denominated holdings grew from both the share increase and Bitcoin’s (BTC) price appreciation during the period. 

Bitcoin surged from its March closing of $82,511.47 to a June closing of $107,168.23. This price movement amplified the value of Brevan Howard’s expanded position. 

Brevan Howard previously ranked as the second-largest IBIT investor, trailing Goldman Sachs, which held over $1.4 billion worth of IBIT shares as of March. 

The accumulation in the second quarter vaulted Brevan Howard past Goldman Sachs to claim the top position among institutional holders.

The hedge fund also added exposure to BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) during the last quarter.

Crypto dive

Brevan Howard formed BH Digital in September 2021 to provide digital asset exposure across investing and business operations in public and private markets. 

The dedicated crypto division has delivered strong performance, with BH Digital returning 34.5% in the first quarter of 2024 while managing around $1.7 billion in assets.

Brevan Howard raised more than $1 billion for its flagship crypto vehicle, representing the largest crypto hedge fund launch ever. 

The firm’s dual approach combines direct crypto investments through BH Digital with exchange-traded funds (ETFs) holdings in traditional portfolios.

IBIT has attracted substantial institutional interest since launching in January 2024, with over $91 billion in assets under management, according to Bold Report data.

Furthermore, Farside Investors’ data revealed that IBIT accumulated $58.5 billion in positive net flows since launch, dwarfing the second-largest spot Bitcoin ETF by nearly five times.

Brevan Howard’s Bitcoin ETF accumulation reflects broader institutional adoption of crypto through regulated investment products. 

The firm’s substantial IBIT position demonstrates how traditional asset managers are incorporating digital assets into institutional portfolios while maintaining operational efficiency through ETF structures.

Mentioned in this article
]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/brevan-howard-reports-2-3b-bitcoin-exposure-via-blackrocks-ibit-etf-becoming-second-largest-holder/feed/ 0 53511 USDC by Circle Is the Second-Largest Stablecoin by Market Cap. Can It Ever Catch Up to Tether? https://earlybirdsinvest.com/usdc-by-circle-is-the-second-largest-stablecoin-by-market-cap-can-it-ever-catch-up-to-tether/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/usdc-by-circle-is-the-second-largest-stablecoin-by-market-cap-can-it-ever-catch-up-to-tether/#respond Tue, 29 Jul 2025 21:08:12 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/usdc-by-circle-is-the-second-largest-stablecoin-by-market-cap-can-it-ever-catch-up-to-tether/ Unseating Tether as the top stablecoin won’t be easy. Here’s what needs to happen.

Combined, Tether (USDT -0.02%) and USDC (USDC -0.00%) account for 90% of the total market cap of the stablecoin industry. According to the latest stablecoin research from The Motley Fool, Tether has a market cap of $158.9 billion, while USDC has a market cap of $62.6 billion. So can USDC ever close this $100 billion gap, or is Tether’s first-mover advantage simply insurmountable?

The answer might surprise you. There are three good reasons why USDC might soon surpass Tether as the most popular stablecoin in the world.

1. Global expansion

Even though both Tether and USDC are pegged 1:1 to the dollar, there are several key differences. For example, Tether is domiciled in the Caribbean, while USDC is a U.S-based stablecoin. The issuer of the USDC stablecoin is New York-based Circle Internet Group (CRCL -2.01%), which became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange earlier this summer.

This only enhances the perception that USDC is the stablecoin that America uses, while Tether is the stablecoin that the rest of the world uses. Tether currently towers over USDC in terms of market cap as it has 350 million users worldwide, and is very popular in emerging markets. For its part, Circle says that 70% of USDC usage is now coming from beyond U.S. borders.

From my perspective, USDC still needs to expand its footprint internationally, and that means lining up foreign partners. In the U.S. market, USDC has already partnered with several financial institutions and fintech providers, including Coinbase Global (NASDAQ: COIN). Now, it needs to expand on those partnerships to grow its global footprint.

2. Growth with institutional investors

USDC also has an opportunity to become the preferred stablecoin of large institutional investors. Interestingly, the passage of the Genius Act by Congress may have opened the door to that happening sooner than anyone expected.

That’s because the Genius Act is very clear about the backing of stablecoins by stablecoin issuers. At a minimum, a stablecoin must be backed 1:1 by cash and cash equivalents. The Genius Act expressly says that any other form of backing for stablecoins is unacceptable.

And that’s where things get interesting because Tether has been opaque in the past about the backing of its USDT stablecoin. In the past, for example, it has used cryptocurrency, gold, and even commercial paper as backing. According to the Genius Act, those are ineligible assets.

Moreover, Tether has been much less forthcoming than Circle about showing proof of its reserves. Even before the passage of the Genius Act, there was concern that Tether might use its offshore location as a way to evade some of the more stringent reporting now required in the U.S. market. Even worse, there have allegedly been instances in the past when Tether apparently had “ghost reserves” that didn’t actually exist.

Green digital dollar symbol surrounded by fractal-like charts and data.

Image source: Getty Images.

So here’s my thinking: Big-time institutional investors in the U.S. that want to get involved with stablecoins are probably going to opt to use USDC, out of an abundance of caution. Historically, USDC has been considered more transparent and more compliant with U.S. regulatory frameworks than Tether. Granted, Tether is more liquid than USDC, and has less slippage on its dollar peg than USDC (which makes it very useful for high-frequency traders), but it also carries more regulatory risk.

3. New use cases for consumers and businesses

Finally, USDC can steal a march on Tether by growing the number of possible use cases for consumers and consumer-facing businesses. For example, The Wall Street Journal recently reported that both Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Walmart (NYSE: WMT) are considering the launch of stablecoins as a payment option for consumers. If these consumers use stablecoins, Amazon and Walmart can cut down on their credit card processing fees, saving them money.

So that seems like another way for Circle to grow faster than Tether: go all-in on stablecoins as an innovative new payment option, signing up as many partners as possible. In June, for example, Shopify (NASDAQ: SHOP) signed up as a USDC partner. Circle is also working with Coinbase to increase usage of USDC as a potential payment option at consumer-facing businesses.

When will USDC pass Tether?

A lot has to go right for USDC to pass Tether in terms of market cap. But, if all goes according to plan, this might actually happen soon if USDC doubles in size each year, while Tether continues to grow at a steady 10% rate. If this ultra-optimistic scenario plays out, then USDC might be able to narrow the $100 billion gap with Tether within the next 24 months.

So, while there are a growing number of Circle naysayers out there, I’m not one of them. If you are looking to capture any potential upside from the rapid growth of the stablecoin market, you might think about adding some Circle to round off your portfolio.

Dominic Basulto has positions in Amazon, Circle Internet Group, and USDC. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Shopify, and Walmart. The Motley Fool recommends Coinbase Global. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/usdc-by-circle-is-the-second-largest-stablecoin-by-market-cap-can-it-ever-catch-up-to-tether/feed/ 0 50371 Analyst Predicts Imminent New All-Time Highs for XRP, Says Second-Largest Altcoin’s Chart Looks ‘Disgustingly Good’ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/analyst-predicts-imminent-new-all-time-highs-for-xrp-says-second-largest-altcoins-chart-looks-disgustingly-good/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/analyst-predicts-imminent-new-all-time-highs-for-xrp-says-second-largest-altcoins-chart-looks-disgustingly-good/#respond Mon, 14 Jul 2025 02:43:37 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/analyst-predicts-imminent-new-all-time-highs-for-xrp-says-second-largest-altcoins-chart-looks-disgustingly-good/

An analyst known for timely altcoin calls believes that new record-level prices are on the horizon for the payments altcoin XRP (XRP).

Pseudonymous analyst Pentoshi tells his 870,600 followers on the social media platform X that XRP’s chart looks bullish and that the altcoin might see new all-time high prices in the coming weeks.

But for now, Pentoshi thinks that XRP will take a breather before sparking the next leg up.

“XRP:

This is probably going to do price discovery in the next two weeks as well, in my opinion…

XRP looks disgustingly good even on the BTC pair, to be honest…

Also, one with quite a few tailwinds and held up very well for the past several months.” 

Image
Source: Pentoshi/X

As for XRP’s tailwinds, Pentoshi says the altcoin may benefit from Ripple’s push to obtain a banking license and the potential passing of stablecoin regulations into law.

Looking at the broader altcoin market, the trader says he’s now seeing the possibility of rotation from large-cap to mid-cap coins.

“Mostly been in large caps.

So far, they’ve done ver,y very well.

Will probably look out for a few mid-caps for [this] week. (Have not looked at those in a while).

A lot of the charts structurally look great, and I hope we can get a good few weeks out of it and then go from there.” 

Mid-cap altcoins are crypto assets with a market cap of $1 billion to $10 billion.

Follow us on X, Facebook and Telegram

Don’t Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox

Check Price Action

Surf The Daily Hodl Mix

&nbsp

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing.

Generated Image: DALLE3

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/analyst-predicts-imminent-new-all-time-highs-for-xrp-says-second-largest-altcoins-chart-looks-disgustingly-good/feed/ 0 47506 BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF Posts Second-Largest Inflow Since January Launch https://earlybirdsinvest.com/blackrocks-bitcoin-etf-posts-second-largest-inflow-since-january-launch/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/blackrocks-bitcoin-etf-posts-second-largest-inflow-since-january-launch/#respond Tue, 29 Apr 2025 05:09:19 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/blackrocks-bitcoin-etf-posts-second-largest-inflow-since-january-launch/ BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), recorded nearly $1b in inflows on Monday, marking its second-largest single-day intake since its debut earlier this year.

According to SoSoValue data, IBIT pulled in $970.93m, underlining the renewed appetite among institutional investors for crypto assets.

The surge comes amid a broader recovery in Bitcoin markets. Investors have been steadily returning to Bitcoin-linked products, buoyed by signs of resilience in the asset despite volatility in equities.

Crypto supporters have pointed out Bitcoin’s relative stability compared to US stocks during periods of economic uncertainty, a trend that has reignited discussions around Bitcoin’s potential as a safe-haven asset.

The IBIT fund is part of a wave of spot Bitcoin ETFs that launched on Jan. 11. That day marked a turning point for the industry, opening the door for traditional investors to gain direct exposure to Bitcoin through regulated market vehicles. Nine new funds debuted alongside Grayscale’s long-running Bitcoin Trust, which converted into an ETF structure the same day.

Strong BlackRock IBIT Inflows Contrast With Outflows From Rival Funds

James Toledano, chief operating officer at Unity Wallet, said the current momentum stems from multiple factors. He noted that President Donald Trump’s recent silence on crypto matters had helped market sentiment. “Historically, his comments have coincided with price drops, though correlation is not causation,” he said.

Toledano added that easing rhetoric around tariffs and the Federal Reserve has lifted investor confidence, alongside the strong inflows into Bitcoin ETFs that reflect renewed institutional support.

Despite IBIT’s strong performance, the broader Bitcoin ETF market showed mixed momentum, signaling that investor demand remains selective.

Monday’s inflows were heavily concentrated in BlackRock’s IBIT, which brought in $970m. In contrast, Fidelity’s FBTC recorded outflows of $86.8m, while Grayscale’s GBTC saw $42.66m in net outflows.

Despite IBIT’s Gains, Broader Bitcoin ETF Market Shows Strain

Ark Invest’s ARKB fund posted the largest single-day outflow among major ETFs at $226.3m. Despite IBIT’s strong performance, the broader Bitcoin ETF market showed mixed momentum, signaling that investor demand remains selective.

The rising demand shows how Bitcoin’s narrative as a hedge against macroeconomic uncertainty is gaining traction again. With US equities under pressure and global markets seeking direction, both gold and Bitcoin have benefited from a pivot toward alternative stores of value.

The post BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF Posts Second-Largest Inflow Since January Launch appeared first on Cryptonews.

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/blackrocks-bitcoin-etf-posts-second-largest-inflow-since-january-launch/feed/ 0 33392