Chainlink’s First U.S. ETF Opens Strong With $41M in Day-One Inflows

Key Takeaways

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  Grayscale’s new GLNK product launched with more than $41 million flowing in on day one.
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  The fund closed its debut session with roughly $64 million in assets, a rare outcome for a first-time crypto ETP.
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  Bitwise’s upcoming CLNK listing gains renewed interest as competition in Chainlink-based products intensifies.

Instead of the slow, cautious start that many niche crypto products see, GLNK immediately drew attention from professional and retail investors, pulling in over $41 million before the market even settled into its afternoon rhythm.

The strong reception wasn’t just visible in inflows. Activity around the fund remained elevated throughout the day, helping it finish with about $64 million in assets, a level that seasoned analysts described as unusual for a debut product tied to a single blockchain ecosystem.

Analysts Note Strength Despite Market Weakness

Bloomberg’s James Seyffart pointed out that GLNK’s early momentum stands in contrast to the broader mood across crypto, where prices and sentiment have been sliding for weeks. According to Seyffart, the willingness of investors to step into a fresh Chainlink-tracking vehicle during a downturn underlines how much interest there is in gaining structured exposure to oracle infrastructure and tokenization assets.

He emphasized that the scale of trading volume on day one is typically associated with launches that benefit from bullish backdrops, not with market environments marked by red candles.

How GLNK Differs From a Traditional ETF

Although GLNK trades on NYSE Arca, it does not fall under the same regulatory framework as a 40-Act ETF. Instead, it directly holds LINK, offering investors a simpler route into the ecosystem powering many real-world data feeds on blockchains. Grayscale has cautioned that the structure involves different risks compared to a standard ETF, but also highlighted that it provides more direct asset exposure.

The arrival of GLNK also puts renewed focus on Bitwise’s CLNK, a separate Chainlink product that appeared on the DTCC’s systems last month. Its presence there indicates administrative preparation rather than approval, but the timing now looks increasingly strategic as investor appetite proves stronger than expected.

Growing Demand for Infrastructure-Focused Assets

The strong launch suggests that markets are broadening their definition of what a crypto investment product can be. Chainlink, long regarded as the backbone for data delivery into smart contracts, is now being approached through regulated investment rails. GLNK’s debut marks one of the clearest signs yet that institutional investors are looking beyond layer-1 tokens and toward the infrastructure powering tokenization and automation.