$6.9 Billion in 2025: BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF Overtakes Top Gold ETF in 2025 Inflows

Despite underperforming gold in terms of year-to-date price performance, Bitcoin is attracting stronger institutional investment flows, signaling a long-term vote of confidence in the digital asset's prospects. Lifted by geopolitical tensions, inflationary concerns, and global economic uncertainties, the price of gold has rallied nearly 29% this year, while Bitcoin has managed a more modest 3.8% gain. Yet, this has done little to discourage large-scale capital from flowing into BTC-backed investment vehicles.Bitcoin ETF inflows outpace gold amid rising institutional confidenceBlackRock's spot Bitcoin ETF, known as IBIT, has emerged as one of the most attractive investment products of 2025, pulling in a net $6.96 billion since January. According to Bloomberg’s senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas, this places IBIT as the sixth-largest exchange-traded fund in terms of net inflows this year. In a notable shift, IBIT has now overtaken the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD), the world’s largest physically backed gold ETF, which slipped to the seventh position with $6.5 billion in inflows.$IBIT took in another half a billion yest, extending inflow streak to 15 days and is now 6th in YTD flows, passing $GLD which is notable bc IBIT is only up 4% vs GLD having the run of its life. To take in more cash in that scenario is really good sign for long term, and inspires... pic.twitter.com/9HWqYxtyJ4— Eric Balchunas (@EricBalchunas) May 6, 2025This development underscores a growing institutional appetite for Bitcoin, often dubbed “digital gold,” even as the asset trades more than 10% below its all-time high recorded in January. Balchunas remarked on X that IBIT’s success in attracting capital despite BTC’s lagging price performance is “a really good sign for the long term,” further stating that this momentum supports projections of Bitcoin ETFs eventually holding triple the assets under management (AUM) of gold ETFs within 3 to 5 years.On-chain data signals renewed Bitcoin accumulationAdding fuel to the bullish narrative is on-chain data indicating a resurgence in Bitcoin accumulation among both short-term and long-term holders. BTC has gained 3% so far in May, building on April’s 14% climb, and this recovery appears to be backed by strengthening fundamentals.The accumulation trend is spreading top-down:Whales >10K $BTC remain near peak accumulation (~0.95)1K–10K and 100–1K $BTC cohorts holding steady around ~0.8–0.910–100 $BTC holders are pivoting, trending toward ~0.6.Only 1–10 $BTC (~0.3) and $BTC (~0.2) remain net... pic.twitter.com/nXcEKpkFx1— glassnode (@glassnode) April 30, 2025Glassnode’s latest analysis highlights that inflows into Bitcoin ETFs have picked up pace over the past two weeks. Meanwhile, long-term holders (LTHs), defined as wallets that have held Bitcoin for 155 days or more, have accumulated over 250,000 BTC since early March. This takes their total holdings above 14 million BTC, reflecting a significant vote of confidence in the asset’s long-term potential.Interestingly, short-term holders (STHs), who typically hold for less than 155 days and often act counter to LTHs, have also flipped into accumulation mode. Over the past week alone, STHs added more than 25,000 BTC, reversing a multi-month net distribution trend that had seen over 200,000 BTC sold since February, coinciding with a 30% price drawdown.Glassnode’s report suggests that this shift points to growing investor conviction: “Accumulation pressures are outweighing the propensity for investors to spend and de-risk,” the firm noted. With Bitcoin now hovering near the $97,000 mark, this broad-based accumulation reflects a revitalized market sentiment. However, a key resistance level looms at $99,900, where LTHs are likely to start realizing profits due to an average +350% unrealized gain, potentially increasing sell-side pressure at that price zone.Algorithm forecasts Bitcoin could hit $170K in 2025Looking ahead, algorithmic models on CoinCodex remain bullish on Bitcoin’s potential trajectory. Based on historical trends and real-time technical indicators, the platform’s Bitcoin price prediction suggests that BTC could climb above $170,000 by the end of August 2025.However, the model also anticipates a subsequent price correction phase, with Bitcoin expected to retreat toward the $100,000 mark later in the year. This pattern aligns with previous Bitcoin market cycles where parabolic rallies are typically followed by consolidation and cooling-off periods.