XRP ETFs Attract Steady Inflows While Bitcoin and Ethereum See Heavy Institutional Redemptions

The week ending May 15, 2026, was particularly notable, marking the strongest weekly inflow of the year at $60.5 million. This record week was spearheaded by the Bitwise XRP ETF, which attracted $25.68 million, and the Franklin XRP ETF, which drew $21.04 million in new investments .

Bitcoin ETFs: A Historic $5.4 Billion Exodus

In a sharp contrast, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs were at the center of a massive institutional sell-off. A four-week streak of billion-dollar redemptions that began in mid-May resulted in a cumulative $5.4 billion exiting these funds .

• Peak of the Rout: The week ending June 6 saw approximately $1.72 billion in net outflows, marking the second-largest weekly withdrawal since these products launched .
• BlackRock Leads the Way: The iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) from BlackRock bore the brunt of the exodus, accounting for roughly $1.34 billion to $1.38 billion of that single week's outflows .
• Daily Damage: The pressure continued into the following week, with daily outflows of $85.4 million on June 9, $146 million on June 10, and $58.5 million on June 11 , though the pace began to slow.

The sell-off coincided with a significant BTC price decline, which analysts linked to macroeconomic headwinds including rate-hike fears, with prices sliding from around $73,000 to $62,639 .

Ethereum ETFs: A Brief Inflow Streak Snapped

Ethereum ETFs were not immune to the broader risk-off sentiment. After briefly breaking a 17-day inflow streak, they quickly fell back into a pattern of outflows.

• A New Losing Streak: On June 12, Ethereum spot ETFs recorded $4.9452 million in net outflows, extending a new outflow streak to four consecutive trading days .
• Fund-Level Breakdown: BlackRock's ETHA led the day's redemptions with a $4.53 million outflow, followed by Fidelity's FETH with a $415,000 withdrawal .

This return to outflows highlighted the fragility of institutional sentiment for Ethereum in the prevailing macro environment, even after a period of significant accumulation.

What's Driving the Institutional Rotation?

The divergence in flows is not random. Market analysts attribute the contrasting fortunes to a clear “rotation” narrative, where capital is being strategically reallocated based on asset-specific fundamentals and the broader economic picture .

• The Case for XRP: Inflows into XRP ETFs are consistently linked to Ripple's expanding payment integrations and the asset's perceived stable positioning. In an environment of uncertainty, investors appear to be seeking out exposure to tokens with clear, utility-driven use cases and a path to regulatory clarity .
• The Exodus from Bitcoin: The heavy redemptions from Bitcoin ETFs are pinned squarely on macroeconomic headwinds. Fears of persistent interest rate hikes and broader geopolitical uncertainty have triggered a classic institutional “risk-off” move. The sheer scale of the outflow, $1.72 billion in a single week as Bitcoin's price tumbled, reflects a deep sensitivity to macro conditions that XRP has, for now, weathered more effectively .