U.S. Spot Crypto ETFs Pull in $125 Million in a Single Day as BlackRock and Fidelity Lead Bitcoin and Ethereum Buying

Institutional demand for crypto ETF exposure accelerated sharply on March 13, with total inflows across U.S. spot crypto ETFs reaching approximately $124.89 million in a single session.

The flows landed on the same day the broader crypto market turned green on stagflation fears and weak GDP data, and the Coinbase Premium flip that accompanied the afternoon rally now has a clearer explanation: BlackRock and Fidelity were actively buying in size.

According to data from Farside, Ethereum ETFs led all categories in dollar terms, pulling in $72.40 million through the addition of 35,300 ETH. Bitcoin ETFs added 767 BTC worth $53.80 million. Solana ETFs recorded inflows of 45,076 SOL valued at $3.90 million. Chainlink ETFs added 36,320 LINK worth $328,290, and Polkadot ETFs brought in 361,320 DOT valued at $544,480. XRP was the sole category in the red, recording outflows of 4.39 million XRP worth $6.08 million, a notable divergence on a day when XRP’s spot price gained 4.44%. Dogecoin, Litecoin, Avalanche, and HBAR ETF flows registered at zero for the session.

BlackRock and Fidelity Drove the Majority of the Move

The headline inflow numbers break down into two dominant institutional actors. BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF purchased 657 BTC worth $46.10 million and added 9,118 ETH worth $18.70 million, accounting for the majority of both the Bitcoin and a significant portion of the Ethereum ETF inflows in a single session. Fidelity’s ETF bought 218 BTC worth $15.30 million and added 25,354 ETH worth $52 million, with Fidelity’s Ethereum purchase alone representing the largest single-institution ETH acquisition of the day by dollar value.

Together, the two firms accounted for $132.10 million in combined Bitcoin and Ethereum purchases, a figure that actually exceeds the total net ETF inflow once XRP outflows and the zero-flow categories are accounted for. The implication is that other ETF providers saw modest net outflows on the day, with BlackRock and Fidelity providing more than the entire net positive flow between them.

The ETH Number Deserves Separate Attention

The $72.40 million in Ethereum ETF inflows is the more significant figure in the context of where the market is heading. Ethereum spot ETFs have historically trailed Bitcoin products in both assets under management and daily flow volume, but today’s session flipped that dynamic entirely, with ETH inflows outpacing BTC inflows by $18.60 million. The timing is not coincidental. BlackRock launched its iShares Staked Ethereum Trust, ticker ETHB, earlier this week, offering investors the first regulated access to staked Ethereum yield within a standard brokerage account. The debut session recorded $15.58 million in trading volume, a result analysts described as credible institutional engagement rather than speculative overflow. Today’s ETH ETF inflow figure, which is nearly five times that debut volume, suggests the ETHB launch has accelerated broader institutional interest in Ethereum ETF products beyond the staking vehicle itself, with capital rotating into both the yield-bearing ETHB and BlackRock’s existing spot ETH product simultaneously.

What the XRP Outflow Signals

The $6.08 million outflow from XRP ETFs on a day when XRP gained 4.44% in spot markets is an unusual divergence worth examining. One interpretation is that some ETF holders used the price strength to take profits through the regulated wrapper while spot buyers on offshore exchanges drove the price higher independently. Another is that the outflow reflects rebalancing activity rather than a directional view on XRP specifically. The magnitude is small relative to the overall flow picture, but the divergence between spot price appreciation and ETF outflows in the same session is the kind of data point that tends to matter more in retrospect than it appears to in the moment.

The broader flow picture on March 13 is unambiguous regardless of the XRP nuance. More than $124 million in net institutional capital entered the U.S. spot crypto ETF complex in a single session, led by the two largest asset managers in the world buying Bitcoin and Ethereum in coordinated size on a day of weak U.S. economic data. That combination of macro catalyst and institutional execution is precisely the setup that ETF advocates argued would define crypto’s next phase of adoption.

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