Trading in Ethereum and Solana ETF accelerated sharply in early January, amid rising institutional interest in crypto assets.
Ethereum and Solana Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) have recorded unusually high trading volumes in recent sessions.
Such a pattern indicates increased investor activity as the ETF markets for major cryptocurrencies continue to mature.
Growing institutional interest
In his latest analysis, Santiment reported that Ethereum ETF trading volume rose to record levels in early January, with the 2nd and 5th recording the highest daily volumes ever, barring a single anomaly observed on August 21. The analytics firm said the continued increase in Ethereum ETF trading volume over several weeks stands out from the short-lived one-day spikes typically associated with short-term market reactions.
As such, the volume growth of recent Ethereum exchange-traded funds reflects a prolonged period of high activity rather than an isolated event. While the company cautioned that Ethereum’s price movements remain closely tied to Bitcoin’s broader market direction, it noted that steady ETF volume increases have historically differed from anomaly-level spikes that often occur near local price extremes.
Exchange-traded fund trading activity for Solana has also accelerated sharply, according to the findings, despite the relatively short trading history of these mutual funds. The company reported a record $220 million in daily Solana ETF trading volumes, after surpassing the previous record of $122 million on the second day after the ETF went public. The increase in volume coincided with SOL regaining the $140 level for the first time in four weeks.
Santiment said that for newly launched ETFs like Solana’s, record-breaking volume days could have added significance due to limited historical data. The company noted that later-stage volume increases, as opposed to spikes associated with early launches, may indicate increasing liquidity and broader participation as the product gains popularity.
The analytics firm added that the recent rise in Solana ETF numbers came alongside reports of growing institutional interest in crypto products beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum. Morgan Stanley’s filing for its first Solana-linked ETF was a potential factor that drew additional attention to SOL-focused investment vehicles.
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The first outflow of Bitcoin
On the other hand, explore Bitcoin exchange traded funds included their first net outflow of the year on January 6, when they lost $243.24 million after a brief period of strong inflows at the start of 2026. The reversal came after a month in which Bitcoin ETFs largely saw outflows while BTC struggled below the $90,000 level.
After the new year, Bitcoin briefly rose to around $95,000. On the first two trading days of the year, spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted approximately $471 million and $700 million in net inflows, respectively.
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