NewsCryptoBitcoin ETF Investors Head for the Exits After Record Binance Hack

Bitcoin ETF Investors Head for the Exits After Record Binance Hack

Author: Decrypt·

Key Takeaways

  • •U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs shed $643.2 million on Friday, the biggest single-day outflow of October and the first full session since the theft of roughly $6.4 billion from Binance began.
  • •Ethereum funds extended their outflow streak to five consecutive days, bringing weekly losses to about $431 million and October losses to roughly $1.61 billion, while Solana ETFs shed about $72 million over the week.
  • •Bitcoin fell about 4% to roughly $76,400 on Friday amid more than $1.3 billion in liquidated leveraged positions, a smaller drop than the roughly 11% plunge that followed a 2018 Binance attack, before steadying near $77,520 by Saturday.
  • •Binance pledged to cover all losses with company funds and an emergency reserve, while Tether and Circle froze more than $2.3 billion in stolen stablecoins.
  • •Traders on the Myriad prediction market have turned bearish, giving Ethereum a 51.3% chance of falling to $1,500 before reaching $3,000 and Solana a 53.7% chance of sinking to $40 before hitting $160.
Bitcoin ETF Investors Head for the Exits After Record Binance Hack

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs shed $643.2 million on Friday — their biggest single-day outflow of October — in the first full session after attackers began draining roughly $6.4 billion from Binance. Ethereum funds extended a five-day outflow streak to about $431 million over the week, Solana ETFs lost roughly $72 million, and Bitcoin's price fell before steadying over the weekend.

According to Decrypt's ETF tracker, Friday marked the funds' first full session since the theft began at 4:05 p.m. ET on Thursday, after U.S. markets had closed. Thursday's $17.2 million in inflows predated the hack.

The selling erased a four-day, $441 million inflow run, leaving the Bitcoin funds down about $202 million for the week and roughly $516 million for October. Cumulative net inflows since launch slipped to $57.4 billion, with total net assets standing at $103.2 billion.

Ethereum and Solana ETFs fared worse relative to their size. Ethereum funds lost $155.7 million on Friday, extending a five-day outflow streak to about $431 million and pushing October losses to roughly $1.61 billion. Solana ETFs shed $10.8 million, their fifth straight day of outflows, bringing the weekly total to about $72 million; they have logged net inflows on just two days this month.

Spot crypto ETFs hold the underlying asset — such as Bitcoin or Ethereum — and trade on stock exchanges like ordinary shares, giving investors exposure through a regular brokerage account. The daily figures net the money investors put into the funds against what they pull out. Bitcoin funds have drawn $57.4 billion in net inflows since debuting in January 2024, while Ethereum funds have taken in $12.2 billion since launching that July. Because issuers report flows daily and much of the money comes from institutions and financial advisers, the figures have become a closely watched gauge of investor sentiment.

Crypto markets initially appeared to take the hack largely in stride, considering the scale of the theft. Bitcoin fell about 4% to roughly $76,400 on Friday, and more than $1.3 billion in leveraged positions — bets built with borrowed funds — were liquidated, or forcibly closed. That is a sharp drop, but far smaller than the nearly 11% plunge that followed a failed attack on Binance in 2018.

Binance has pledged to cover all losses with company funds and an emergency reserve, while Tether and Circle froze more than $2.3 billion in stolen stablecoins — tokens designed to hold a fixed value against the U.S. dollar. Some Wall Street firms even urged clients to buy crypto-linked stocks on the potential weakness in markets.

By Saturday, Bitcoin had steadied at about $77,520, up 0.5% over 24 hours but down 3.3% on the week. Ethereum traded near $2,251, down 3.9% for the week, and Solana near $96, down 4.5%. Total crypto market capitalization held at about $2.7 trillion. With issuers disclosing flows for every trading session, the next round of daily reports will show whether the post-hack retreat carried into the new trading week.

Macro headwinds remain in play. The Federal Reserve held rates at 3.75% to 4% on Wednesday, though two officials voted for a hike, and traders had priced odds above 70% for an increase in December.

Traders on Myriad, a prediction market developed by Decrypt's parent company Dastan where participants bet on real-world outcomes, have turned bearish on Ethereum and Solana. They now give Ethereum a 51.3% chance of falling to $1,500 before reaching $3,000, flipping a market that favored the upside at 61.3% a week ago. Solana's odds of sinking to $40 before hitting $160 rose to 53.7%.