U.S. Bitcoin Funds Draw $524.8 Million on Wednesday as Inflows Broaden
Key Facts
U.S. Bitcoin funds attracted net inflows of $524.8 million on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, according to Farside Investors, as products outside BlackRock drew money after some saw withdrawals early in the week. The total followed a decline in net inflows to $23.2 million on Tuesday, when flows remained positive despite slowing. Wednesday's inflows approached Monday's total of $526.7 million, but the distribution of money among funds differed between the two sessions. BlackRock's IBIT led Wednesday with $235.0 million in inflows, according to Farside figures. Fidelity's FBTC followed with inflows of $212.7 million, close to the leading fund's intake during the session.
BlackRock's fund alone had attracted $665.2 million on Monday, exceeding the group's net inflows that session, according to Farside. By contrast, FBTC saw withdrawals of $83.6 million, while $54.9 million left GBTC that day. Flows into GBTC turned positive on Wednesday, when it attracted $32.6 million. BTC also drew $8.2 million during Wednesday's session. Inflows extended to BITB at $19.2 million and ARKB at $9.8 million. EZBC also recorded inflows of $7.3 million, as more funds attracted money compared with the distribution at the start of the week.
U.S. Ethereum funds returned to aggregate net inflows of $14.9 million on Wednesday, according to Farside. The group had recorded net withdrawals of $103.3 million on Monday. Outflows continued on Tuesday, albeit at a slower pace, with net withdrawals of $26.1 million. But Wednesday's aggregate reversal coincided with continued withdrawals from ETHA, which lost $29.3 million during the session. In the opposite direction, FETH attracted $13.0 million, while ETH drew larger inflows of $28.1 million. ETHW and EZET each recorded inflows of $0.9 million, while MSSE added $1.3 million to incoming funds.
On the performance and size of BlackRock's fund, IBIT's net asset value per share rose 2.35% on 21 October, according to the company's official product page. Despite the daily gains, the fund's year-to-date total net asset value return remained negative at 3.56% as of the same date. The fund's net assets stood at about $68,466,726,987, according to BlackRock's data for that day. Its shares outstanding totaled 1,433,480,000 on the same date. The fund's stated sponsor fee is 0.25%, according to the product page.
In the regulatory backdrop for these products, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved in-kind creation and redemption of shares in crypto asset products on 29 July 2025. The approval covered these transactions by authorized participants, according to the SEC's statement at the time. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said in the statement: "Investors will benefit from these approvals, as they will make these products less costly and more efficient." Explaining the cash redemption mechanism, SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda said it requires authorized participants to redeem product shares for U.S. dollars. He added that this forces the product issuer to buy or sell the crypto asset on the open market.
Outside the United States, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority announced its approval of the first Swiss retail fund to invest directly in Bitcoin. The regulator stressed that investing in the currency remains "high risk" even through a fund it approves. It also said other entities had submitted applications to launch Bitcoin funds or announced their applications. On the upcoming calendar, the Federal Reserve holds its meeting on 27 and 28 October 2026, according to the Federal Open Market Committee's official schedule. The meeting will be followed by a press conference, according to the same schedule. Minutes of the October meeting are scheduled for release on 18 November.