Unprecedented Influx European Investors Invest a Historic 105B in US Bitcoin ETFs

European investors have allocated a record amount of capital into spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the United States.
Europeans invested over $105 billion year-to-date (YTD) into spot Bitcoin (
BTC
) ETFs, marking a new all-time high.
The record European
ETF flows
were shared by Eric Balchunas, a senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg, who
wrote
in an Oct. 21 X post:


International ETF flows to the US. Source: Eric Balchunas
Growing ETF inflows could push Bitcoin to a new all-time high from its current crabwalk. Inflows into US Bitcoin ETFs accounted for approximately
75% of the new capital
that helped Bitcoin surpass $50,000 in Feb. 2024.


BTC/USD, monthly chart. Source: TradingView
Despite the record European inflows, Bitcoin has been unable to recover above the $70,000 psychological level, last visited on July 29, Bitstamp
data
shows.
Related:
Bitcoin hashrate hits all-time high, boosting network security
Bitcoin price stalls below $70,000 despite ETF records and hashrate all-time high
The European inflows weren’t the only record milestone for Bitcoin and Bitcoin-based ETFs this past week.
Earlier today, on Oct. 21, Bitcoin’s hashrate — the total computing power securing the network — reached a new all-time high, showcasing the network’s growing security and increasing BTC mining costs.
On Oct. 17, US Bitcoin ETFs crossed
$20 billion in total net flows
, or the “most difficult metric to grow” for ETFs, according to Balchunas. This same milestone took over five years for Gold-based ETFs to cross.
Despite multiple ETF milestones, Bitcoin’s price has been stuck under $69,500 since July. 29.


BTC/USD, 1-week chart. Source: TradingView
Bitfinex analysts attribute this to the delayed effect of ETF inflows, which can take several days to impact spot BTC price.
The ask-heavy order book suggests that crypto traders are using ETF flows as exit liquidity for their trades, the analysts told Cointelegraph:
Related:
Tether’s USDT hits record $120B market cap, flashing ‘Uptober’ signal
Bitcoin ETFs on a six-day winning streak
The Bitcoin ETFs have recorded six consecutive days of net positive inflows on Aug. 18, Farside Investors data shows,


Bitcoin ETF Flow (USD, million). Source: Farside Investors
On Oct. 14, the US Bitcoin ETFs bought a cumulative $555 million worth of Bitcoin, resulting in a 5% daily increase in Bitcoin price, from $62,450 to a daily high of $66,479.


Bitcoin ETF dashboard. Source: Dune
Bitcoin ETFs surpassed $66.3 billion in cumulative onchain Bitcoin holdings, representing 4.9% of the current Bitcoin circulating supply, Dune
data
shows.
Magazine:
Bitcoin $233K forecast, SEC X account hacker arrested, and more: Hodler’s Digest, Oct. 13 – 19