BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF Sees Massive Inflows in 2025 Despite Negative Returns
BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF (IBIT), launched in January 2024, has emerged as a significant player in 2025 with more than $25 billion in inflows. This ranks it as the sixth largest ETF inflow of the year despite IBIT posting a negative return of approximately -9.6% year-to-date as of December 20, 2025.
Notably, IBIT's inflows exceeded those of the popular gold ETF GLD, which gained about 65% in 2025 but saw $20.8 billion in inflows. The top inflow ETF in 2025 is Vanguard's S&P 500 ETF (VOO), gathering roughly $145 billion, while the iShares S&P 100 ETF (OEF) ranks 25th with about $10 billion in inflows.
According to Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas, the $25 billion inflow during what is considered a "bad year" for performance signals strong long-term flow potential and robustness for future years. The data also indicates that Bitcoin ETF investors in 2025 did not follow momentum-driven demand patterns, suggesting investment interest was sustained despite the negative performance.
