Digital asset investment products have entered 2026 with strong momentum, indicating a continued shift in investor behavior away from Bitcoin and towards select altcoins.
According to the newest CoinShares data, global crypto fund inflows reached $47.2 billion in 2025, narrowly missing the record $48.7 billion set in 2024 and setting the stage for market activity earlier within the 12 months.
Inflows from global crypto funds close near record levels in 2025
The latest CoinShares report shows that the brand new 12 months began strong with $671 million in inflows on Friday, January 2, 2026. This pushed total weekly inflows to $582 million despite midweek outflows.
While the US remained the most important source of investment, Germany and Canada reversed previous outflows, recording inflows of $2.5 billion and $1.1 billion, respectively. This reflects increasing global acceptance. Switzerland also saw modest growth, with inflows of $775 million, up 11.5% year-on-year.
What's more interesting is that altcoins proceed to dominate investor attention. Ethereum led the gains, recording $12.7 billion in inflows last 12 months, up 138% 12 months over 12 months. XRP rose 500% to $3.7 billion, while Solana rose 1,000% to $3.6 billion.
Crypto funds flowed last week. Source: CoinShares report
In contrast, the remaining of the altcoin market saw a 30% year-on-year decline in inflows, highlighting investors' concentrated interest in high-performing tokens.
Even meme coins, which have been stagnant since November 2024, are showing early signs of a comeback. CryptoQuant analysts point to renewed gains in select high-cap coins, a possible signal for speculative investors.
Bitcoin flows lag as price motion masks investor caution
Meanwhile, Bitcoin flows lagged, falling 35% year-on-year to $26.9 billion. Short Bitcoin investment products remain area of interest products with only $105 million in total assets under management.
Despite this, Bitcoin prices rebounded sharply, rising from $89,000 to $93,300 over the weekend, following short-term liquidations and geopolitical developments, including US attacks on Venezuela. Analysts note that while Bitcoin is up 6% year-to-date, weekend gains have historically been worn out in Monday trading, raising questions on whether the momentum may be sustained into early 2026.
Bitcoin rose from $89,000 to $93,300 over the weekend
So far, it’s up 6% year-to-date, and 2026 has yet to print a red each day candle
But in recent weeks we’ve got seen weekend pumps being cleared on Monday morning.
Will this pump survive?
Or are we going to have one other huge event… pic.twitter.com/WtwD87UgQh
— Lark Davis (@LarkDavis) January 5, 2026
Market sentiment stays cautiously optimistic. On-chain data points to one in all the most important whale accumulation periods in over a decade as momentum indicators for Bitcoin and Ethereum rebound from heavily oversold levels.
Bitcoin is up 5.8% since January and 2026 has wasted no time in waking up markets.
What's interesting is what happens below the worth:
• Momentum is recovering from severely oversold levels, the weakest since August 2023
• On-chain data shows one in all the most important whales… pic.twitter.com/Cl4pBS4F0p
— Kyledoops (@kyledoops) January 5, 2026
Ethereum specifically is showing a robust technical structure, with traders initially targeting $3,250 before potentially reaching the December 11 high of $3,450.
Ethereum (ETH) price development. Source: BeInCrypto
The starting of 2026 marks a market in transition. Investors look like shifting capital toward select altcoins and compelling opportunities while remaining cautious on Bitcoin.
The combination of early-year inflows, concentrated altcoin demand, and cautious price motion suggests that the primary few weeks of 2026 could determine investor positioning for the approaching months.
As digital asset flows proceed to shift, the market will probably be watching to see whether Bitcoin can reclaim its dominance or whether altcoins will take the lead in shaping the crypto narrative of the 12 months.
The post: Early 2026 Crypto Fund Flows Show Investors Betting Beyond Bitcoin appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Article source: beincrypto.com
The post: Early 2026 Crypto Fund Flows Show Investors Betting Beyond Bitcoin appeared first on Crypto Adventure.
