CryptoQuant: Institutional Bitcoin Holdings Rise as Retail Fear Returns

Wallets holding between 100 and 1,000 BTC have added 577,000 BTC over the past year, a trend CryptoQuant founder Ki Young Ju said could signal continued institutional interest in Bitcoin in the US. “Institutional demand for Bitcoin remains strong,” he said, adding that the cohort includes exchange-traded funds and that, “excluding exchanges and miners, this gives a rough read on institutional demand.” CryptoQuant said the increase is about 33% over the last 24 months, around the time the first spot Bitcoin ETFs were launched.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs in the United States have seen an aggregate inflow of $1.2 billion so far this year despite the underlying asset gaining around 6%. Political economist “Crypto Seth” replied that “institutions just began to invest in Bitcoin and Ethereum” and added, “I think this is just the beginning.” Digital asset treasuries have also expanded holdings.

Glassnode reported that crypto DATs, led by Michael Saylor’s Strategy, have bought 260,000 BTC since July — roughly $24 billion at current market prices — a 30% increase over six months that now puts their collective holdings above 1.1 million BTC and reportedly outpacing miner supply.

Retail sentiment has cooled: the Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index slipped back into “fear” this week at 32 out of 100 on Tuesday after briefly flipping to “greed” last week.

Key Topics

Crypto, Bitcoin, Cryptoquant, Ki Young Ju, Spot Bitcoin Etfs, Digital Asset Treasuries