Unlike the boom-and-bust cycles that once defined Bitcoin, this surge is being fueled by large institutions moving capital through regulated investment vehicles. The trend, according to Bitwise CTO Hong Kim, has become a permanent feature of the market. “These inflows arrive like clockwork,” he said, calling it an institutional revolution that no halving cycle can break.
A New Kind of Bull Market
The growing appetite from pension funds, hedge funds, and asset managers has quietly transformed Bitcoin’s role in finance. What began as a speculative asset is now being treated as a strategic holding, with total crypto fund assets crossing $250 billion, data from Bitwise shows.
In practice, ETFs have become the main gateway for professional money. They bring regulatory oversight, transparent pricing, and predictable inflows — all ingredients for long-term stability that crypto markets historically lacked.
Demand Dwarfs New Supply
The numbers reveal the imbalance. Institutions have acquired over 944,000 BTC so far in 2025, far exceeding the 127,000 BTC mined during the same period, according to Bitwise’s André Dragosch. That means Wall Street’s appetite is roughly seven times greater than Bitcoin’s new issuance.
This mismatch began in early 2024 when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved spot Bitcoin ETFs after years of hesitation. The decision triggered a structural shift in demand — and opened the floodgates for capital once locked out of the crypto space.
From Resistance to Reliance
The moment BlackRock launched its iShares Bitcoin Trust, the market’s perception of Bitcoin changed. Once viewed as volatile and unregulated, it suddenly became a mainstream financial instrument. Major institutions followed suit, and even corporations with ties to government projects began holding BTC as a balance sheet reserve.
Bitcoin’s halving schedule — long treated as its natural rhythm — may no longer matter. With ETF‑driven accumulation and the U.S. monetary environment encouraging risk assets, analysts say Bitcoin is moving into a new phase where institutional allocation, not retail emotion, dictates its price action.
With three months still left in the year, fund inflows show no sign of slowing. If this pace continues, 2026 could see the most significant liquidity squeeze in Bitcoin’s history — one where scarcity becomes Wall Street’s most coveted asset.
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