Record Inflows to Virtual Asset ETFs Last Week

Of $5.95 billion, U.S. funds were $5.0 billion

Dollar weakness accompanies rise with gold

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking digital assets such as Bitcoin saw a record inflow of $5.95 billion (about 8.4 trillion won) globally last week. Fueled by these inflows, Bitcoin hit an all-time high over the weekend.

According to data from CoinShares on the 7th (local time), last week saw the largest-ever inflows into ETFs that invest in cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market value, continued its rally after reaching a record high on the 5th, rising to $126,223 on that day.

Citing CoinShares, Reuters reported that by country the United States ranked first with $5.0 billion flowing into cryptocurrency ETFs. Switzerland followed with $563 million and Germany with $312 million.

Bitcoin attracted $3.55 billion, Ethereum drew $1.48 billion, and Solana and Ripple received $706.5 million and $219.4 million respectively.

Bitcoin is rising alongside a historic surge in gold, a traditional safe-haven asset. With ongoing uncertainty in international trade and developments such as a potential U.S. government shutdown weakening the U.S. dollar, analysts say investors have moved to diversify their portfolios.

James, head of research at CoinShares, said, "It shows that awareness of digital assets as an investment alternative is increasing in uncertain times."

Deutsche Bank predicted that by 2030 Bitcoin, along with gold, will be included on the balance sheets of most central banks.

This year’s cryptocurrency rally has been driven by strong support policies from U.S. President Trump, demand from institutional investors, and dollar weakness.

Kim Jeong-a contributing reporter kja@hankyung.com