It feels like SEC approval for U.S. Bitcoin Spot ETFs has been a decade. Yet BTC ETF funds are only celebrating their first anniversary. And what an anniversary: To this day, BlackRock, Fidelity and others have accumulated some 1.14 million BTC, worth more than $108 billion. They have conquered Wall Street and exceeded all prediction. That the Bitcoin price broke the $100,000 mark for the first time last December is probably due to Spot ETFs, in addition to Donald Trump's election win.

In total, U.S. Bitcoin ETFs hold about 5.83 percent of the total amount of BTC currently in circulation. That the eleven BTC funds recorded $36 billion in net inflows on the one hand, but on the other hand manage Bitcoin worth $108 billion, confirms: Many ETF investors are now significantly in the plus thanks to the price increases of the past year. It should be noted, however, that the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF already held 617,000 BTC at the start of trading.

BlackRock dominates Bitcoin ETF market Especially at the world's largest asset manager, the corks are likely to have popped several times since the ETF's inception. BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) has broken new records almost weekly over the past 365 days. By now there is no question: it is the most successful ETF startup of all time. To date, BlackRock has raised nearly $38 billion and currently manages 557,933 BTC worth $53 billion. That makes the IBIT more than $23 billion heavier than the same house's Gold ETF, which has been trading for 20 years.

Looking ahead to the Bitcoin ETF year 2025

Bruno Sousa, Head of US & Europe at Hashdex, explains why things can only really start now for BTC funds: "We consider it very possible that Bitcoin ETFs in the US will reach net inflows of $50 billion in 2025 - more than they could record this year." A determining factor for this is that asset managers and brokerage platforms are providing their clients with direct access to Bitcoin ETFs. With Morgan Stanley, the first major U.S. bank boosted direct sales back in August.

But the billion-dollar inflows into ETFs may not only provide significant support for the BTC price. Moreover, according to Hashdex's expert, pension funds, foundations and other institutions have a much longer investment horizon than retail investors, who currently still account for most of the ETF demand. He explains: "As these large pension plans invest for the long term and make their necessary realignments as the BTC price rises volatility should decrease." Thus, if all goes according to plan, BTC funds could continue to reach new record highs in 2025, while significantly dampening the notorious price swings. For Bitcoin hodlers, these are excellent prospects.