Flight to safety? Crypto funds see outflows as investors fret over tariffs

• Crypto ETPs faced $240 million in outflows last week due to US tariffs.
• Bitcoin ETPs were the hardest hit, with $207 million in withdrawals.
• The US led the outflows, followed by Germany.

Global cryptocurrency exchange-traded products (ETPs) experienced a sharp reversal of fortune last week, with outflows totaling $240 million as investors grew wary of the potential economic impact of new US trade tariffs.

This marks a significant shift after two consecutive weeks of robust inflows, which had amounted to $870 million, according to a report in CoinMarketCap.

According to a CoinShares report, Bitcoin-related ETPs were the hardest hit, suffering withdrawals of $207 million, leaving the total assets under management at $132.6 billion – a modest 0.8% increase from the previous week.

The outflows were primarily concentrated in the United States, which saw $210 million withdrawn from its crypto funds.

Germany followed with $17.7 million in outflows, while Switzerland and Sweden also experienced net withdrawals.

In contrast, Canada and Brazil bucked the trend, with $4.8 million and $1.4 million, respectively, flowing into crypto funds.

Hong Kong and Australia also registered small inflows, offering a glimmer of optimism amid the broader market pullback.

Despite the recent setback, Bitcoin-related products still boast a year-to-date increase of $1.3 billion in investments.

However, the past week saw Bitcoin’s price plummet by more than 6%, largely due to tariff-related concerns and the pervasive economic uncertainty they sparked.

Beyond Bitcoin, other cryptocurrencies, including Ethereum, Solana, and Sui, also experienced significant outflows, as investor sentiment soured.

Ethereum saw $37.7 million withdrawn, while Solana and Sui experienced outflows of $1.8 million and $4.7 million, respectively.

On the other hand, smaller tokens like Toncoin enjoyed some positive movement, attracting $1.1 million in inflows.

Bitcoins Grayscale bleeds, BlackRock remains strong

Grayscale’s Bitcoin funds led the outflows, with $95 million in withdrawals last week.

This pushed Grayscale’s year-to-date outflows to a staggering $1.4 billion, the highest among all ETP providers, reflecting ongoing adjustments within the digital asset management landscape.

Conversely, BlackRock’s iShares ETFs, while experiencing $56 million in outflows last week, still boasted $3.2 billion in total inflows for the year, demonstrating their continued strength.

Other major players like ProShares and ARK Invest also saw continued inflows for the year, albeit in smaller amounts, with $398 million and $146 million, respectively.

While crypto ETPs experienced a downturn, the cryptocurrency equities market displayed greater resilience.

Blockchain stocks, including those of Coinbase, saw $8 million in inflows for the second consecutive week, suggesting investor confidence in the underlying infrastructure and businesses despite broader market anxieties.

Industry insiders, such as Marcin Kazmierczak from RedStone, suggest that the situation reflects wider market dynamics rather than a specific downturn in crypto assets.

The overall sentiment indicates that the crypto sector remains relatively robust, supported by continued institutional growth and the development of real-world applications.

Despite the notable outflows from global crypto funds last week, particularly those tied to Bitcoin, the enduring appeal of blockchain equities suggests that the market is far from collapsing.