BlackRock at Bitcoin 2024: More demand for BTC than ETH for now

BlackRocks head of digital assets, Robert Mitchnick, said Bitcoin ETFs currently draw more investor demand than Ethereum funds.

The Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, which is expected to attract 20,000 crypto enthusiasts, comes as exchange-traded funds now offer exposure to the largest cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH).

Spot ETH ETFs are the new market entrants, but spot BTC ETFs have traded since January and amassed over $60 billion in assets under management, per SoSoValue. Mitchnick remarked that its still early, and flows have yet to indicate whether investors will reallocate capital from Bitcoin funds into Ethereum ETFs.

Spot Ether ETFs achieved 79% of day one total flows recorded by spot Bitcoin products. Data including Grayscale outflows slashed that number to 16% as investors flocked out of the firms ETHE vehicle. Ethereum responded with a price slump and was down up to 7% on July 25.

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Similar flows occurred in January when spot BTC ETFs launched. Investors also pivoted away from Grayscale converted GBTC at the time. If the pattern continues to repeat, markets may see days or even weeks of Grayscale outflows. Sell fatigue might then set in, and total flows could flip positive if spot ETH ETFs capture Wall Street demand.

Nevertheless, many within the crypto industry opine that ETFs for Bitcoin and Ethereum incentivize more U.S. crypto funds to launch soon. Issuers like VanEck have filed for a Solana (SOL) Trust designed similarly to existing spot ETFs.

Speaking with Bloombergs James Seyffart, Mitchnick said BlackRock does not currently see demand for crypto ETFs beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum.