U.S.-listed spot crypto exchange-traded funds extended their recovery on Tuesday, August 18, with Bitcoin and Ether products drawing a combined roughly $369 million in net inflows as institutional demand concentrated heavily in BlackRock and Fidelity products.
Spot Bitcoin ETFs registered approximately $297.5 million in net inflows, according to data reported from Farside Investors. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust, or IBIT, accounted for approximately $160.2 million, while Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund, FBTC, contributed about $111.9 million.
ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF, ARKB, added approximately $14.2 million, while Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin product contributed about $11.2 million. Together, BlackRock and Fidelity accounted for more than 91% of the day’s reported Bitcoin ETF inflows.
No tracked Bitcoin fund reported a net outflow in the available data, making the session notably different from the redemptions that dominated the preceding week.
Bitcoin Funds Reverse Recent Selling Pressure
The $297.5 million Bitcoin result marked a sharp reversal from the previous stretch of withdrawals. Spot Bitcoin ETFs lost $61.1 million on August 12, $131.1 million on August 13 and another $56.2 million on August 14, producing approximately $248.4 million of net redemptions across those three sessions.
The latest inflow was therefore larger than those three sessions of combined withdrawals.
Fidelity has been particularly volatile. FBTC lost $46.8 million on August 12, $55.1 million on August 13 and $6.8 million on August 14 before swinging back toward substantial subscriptions. BlackRock’s IBIT, meanwhile, remains the dominant Bitcoin ETF by cumulative flows, having attracted more than $61 billion since U.S. spot Bitcoin products launched in January 2024.
Bitcoin traded around $64,000-$65,000 on August 18, remaining far below its October 2025 record but recovering from recent weakness. The ETF rebound suggests some investors were willing to add exposure near those levels despite continued uncertainty surrounding interest rates and broader risk-asset conditions.
Ether Adds $71.5 Million as Altcoin ETFs Stay Quiet
Spot Ether ETFs also recorded a strong session, attracting approximately $71.47 million in net inflows on August 18, according to Trader T data.
BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust ETF, ETHA, dominated the category with approximately $64.68 million of net subscriptions, representing about 90% of the day’s Ether ETF total. The result extended the category’s positive-flow streak to four trading sessions.
The inflows arrived as Ether traded near $1,900, with ETH still substantially below previous cycle highs despite improving ETF demand.
Activity outside Bitcoin and Ether was considerably weaker. U.S.-listed Solana, XRP and Hyperliquid funds recorded zero net flows for the session, leaving the two largest cryptocurrencies responsible for essentially all meaningful crypto ETF capital movement.
The divergence highlights how institutional crypto allocations remain concentrated in the market’s most established regulated products. Bitcoin ETFs continue to benefit from significantly deeper liquidity and larger asset bases, while Ether’s latest inflows show renewed demand after several periods of heavy redemptions earlier in 2026.
For the August 18 session, however, BlackRock was the clear winner across both categories. Its Bitcoin and Ether products absorbed approximately $224.9 million combined, accounting for roughly 61% of the reported $369 million flowing into the two major U.S. spot crypto ETF categories.
