Solana ETF’s $531M first week: How it compares to Bitcoin and Ethereum

Key Takeaways

How did Solana’s ETF launch compare to Bitcoin and Ethereum?

Ah, the launch heard ’round the blockchain! Solana’s ETF raked in a cool $531 million in net assets during its debut week. Now, that’s impressive… sort of. It’s about 35% of Bitcoin’s $1.5 billion first-week haul and 45% of Ethereum’s $1.17 billion. In the world of crypto, that’s like bringing a knife to a gunfight-but a very shiny, very well-polished knife.

What happened to SOL price during the ETF launch week?

During launch week, SOL was cruising at $162.57, feeling pretty good about itself. But then, like all good crypto stories, it took a dive, dropping 6.36% to $160 by 5 November. Why? Oh, you know-just the usual market madness that seems to happen whenever you don’t expect it.

So, Solana’s ETF wrapped up its first week with $531 million in net assets. Not terrible, but certainly no world record. The debut was respectable-kind of like a runner-up ribbon in a race where all the other runners are on fire. Institutional interest? Check. Market chaos? Oh, definitely. You can’t launch something big without the market throwing a tantrum.

Solana maintains inflow despite market turmoil

Solana’s ETF launched on 28 October with about $70 million in inflows-this was a strong start, signaling that institutional investors were eyeing it like a hawk spying a mouse. Oh, and it wasn’t just the start. The flows kept up in a pretty predictable pattern, with early excitement followed by a nice bit of stabilization.

Thanks to Soso value data (which, let’s be honest, sounds like a new crypto platform from the future), we saw two big peaks: launch day brought $70 million, and on 3 November, that same number popped up again. Between those peaks, we saw daily flows oscillating between $37 million and $47 million. Basically, people were interested, but no one was breaking out the champagne just yet.

But then-drum roll, please-on 4 November, the inflows dropped faster than a cat seeing a cucumber. Just $15 million came in. Why? Because Bitcoin dipped below $100,000, and the markets lost $230 billion. Yep, perfect timing, Solana.

Despite this, Solana’s ETF recorded inflows for a whole week. So, there’s that. A bit of a rollercoaster, but a week of steady ‘eh, we’re still here’ vibes.

Bitcoin and Ethereum set high bars

Let’s talk about the big dogs-Bitcoin and Ethereum. Bitcoin’s January 2024 ETF launch was the stuff of legends, setting a gold standard that’s almost impossible to live up to. First four days? $1.26 billion in inflows. Eventually, it hit $1.5 billion. Just casually setting records while we’re all over here trying not to trip on our shoelaces.

Ethereum came in second place in July 2024 with a respectable $1.17 billion in first-week inflows. While Bitcoin was off doing its thing, Ethereum’s ETFs like BlackRock’s IBIT were raking it in. Together, the Ethereum ETFs managed to pull in enough to make even the most seasoned crypto enthusiast do a double-take.

Now, Solana-bless its heart-managed $531 million. It’s a decent number, but let’s be real, it’s like a runner finishing a marathon after the top three have already claimed their medals. Solana’s launch captured about 35% of Bitcoin’s first-week total and 45% of Ethereum’s. Not bad, but not exactly breaking the sound barrier either.

The volatile market conditions? Oh, they definitely helped explain the gap. It’s like trying to have a picnic in a hurricane. Not ideal, really.

Whales return to Solana

But wait-hidden beneath the chaos is something interesting: the whales are back. No, not the actual whales. That would be a very different article. What I mean is the big institutional players, the ones with the fat wallets and a penchant for making moves that make smaller investors clutch their pearls.

Looking at the average order size, we see something juicy. Orders were coming in around $150-200, a clear sign that whales-big fish-are getting involved. This is reminiscent of the 2021 bull market when everyone and their dog was making huge bets. This contrasts sharply with the retail-dominated activity of 2022-2023, where orders were more like $10-40. Yes, please, those numbers are more ‘mom-and-pop crypto shop’ than ‘I’m going to buy a yacht with this’ material.

Retail participation might have been muted, but the institutional players were flexing their muscles, positioning themselves like chess grandmasters waiting for the next move.

So, what’s the takeaway from all of this? Solana’s first week in the ETF world was marked by institutional interest and market turbulence. The whales are in, but the conditions weren’t exactly ideal. Let’s see if this giant shark can actually swim through the rough waters and reach calmer seas.

2025-11-06 19:51