Following a period of low activity, BlackRock’s Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) has regained momentum with significant inflows starting on September 23.
Assessment of Bitcoin ETF Performance
On September 25, IBIT experienced a remarkable influx of $184.4 million, contributing to the total inflow across all Bitcoin ETFs reaching $105.9 million.
Conversely, Grayscale’s GBTC, which typically faces outflows, reported no movement on the same day.
However, Fidelity’s FBTC and Ark’s ARKB recorded outflows of $33.2 million and $47.4 million, respectively.
This resurgence in ETF activity has boosted the U.S. BTC ETF to a staggering $17.944 billion in inflows for 2024, setting a new record for year-to-date accumulation of 916,047 BTC—coming close to the coveted 1,000,000 BTC milestone by about 84,000 BTC.
Impressed by this growth, Eric Balchunas, Bloomberg’s Senior ETF Analyst, commented on the development, stating,
“U.S. bitcoin ETFs had a good day yesterday, pushing year-to-date flows to a new high of $17.8 billion. They are now 92% towards owning 1 million bitcoins and 83% towards surpassing Satoshi as the top holder. Tick tock.”
Is Satoshi Nakamoto’s Position in Jeopardy?
Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious creator of Bitcoin, is believed to hold around 1.1 million BTC, a figure that institutional BTC ETFs are quickly approaching.
Recent data suggests that these ETFs have now amassed approximately 83% of Satoshi’s holdings, and if the trend of rising inflows persists, they could soon overtake him.
Currently, Satoshi Nakamoto leads the roster of top Bitcoin holders, closely followed by Binance with 673,783 BTC.
Significantly, major asset managers like BlackRock, Fidelity, and Grayscale collectively possess a substantial 901,101 BTC through their ETF products, with individual holdings of 359,271 BTC, 287,153 BTC, and 254,677 BTC, respectively.
In contrast, the remaining five asset managers with BTC ETFs together hold just 14,946 BTC.
Reflecting a similar sentiment was Spencer Hakimian, Founder of Tolou Capital Management, who remarked,
“ETFs are likely to surpass Satoshi by Christmas Day.”
What Lies Ahead?
Meanwhile, MicroStrategy, under the leadership of Michael Saylor, stands sixth with 252,220 BTC and is poised to potentially enter the league of top Bitcoin holders.
As BTC ETFs continue to generate interest, Bitcoin itself has witnessed a price uptick.
Struggling to surpass the $60,000 mark, BTC was trading at $64,358, reflecting a modest gain of 0.91% over the last 24 hours.