Ethereum Crushes ’Killer’ Altcoins: ETF Surge Propels ETH Dominance

While pretenders clamor for the throne, Ethereum keeps flexing—ETF momentum just added rocket fuel.

The Unshaken Titan

Altcoins promised revolution. Ethereum delivered evolution—and now institutional dollars are voting with their wallets. ETF approvals didn't just open doors; they blew them off the hinges.

Market dynamics shift faster than crypto Twitter sentiment, but ETH's infrastructure moat proves deeper than any 'next-gen' contender. Layer-2 scaling solutions multiply its reach while so-called 'killers' still struggle with basic throughput.

Gravity Defied

Network effects compound like interest at a loan shark—brutally efficient for those inside, impossible to break for those out. Developer activity? Still orbiting altcoin ecosystems. TVL? Don't make us laugh.

Meanwhile Wall Street finally understands what crypto natives knew years ago: you bet on the protocol that actually gets used, not the one with the shiniest whitepaper.

So while VC-backed tokens pivot their narratives quarterly, Ethereum just keeps processing blocks—and now swallowing institutional capital. The ultimate irony? Traditional finance might become ETH's strongest cohort. Guess even bankers recognize a cash vacuum when they see one.

Key Takeaways

Ethereum surged as BlackRock accumulated $314 million and spot ETFs drew $455 million in inflows. Treasury firms added 3.56 million ETH, pushing it toward institutional adoption.

Ethereum [ETH]’s momentum in the latter half of 2025 is proving hard to ignore.

Beyond its record-breaking price surge, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency is dominating the ETF arena and attracting deep-pocketed institutions.

BlackRock quietly loads up on Ethereum

The latest signal came from BlackRock, which added nearly $315 million worth of ETH in recent transactions.

Blockchain analytics firm Arkham revealed that BlackRock has quietly executed one of its largest ethereum purchases yet, amassing $314.9 million worth of ETH across multiple transactions.

The world’s top asset manager used ETF-linked wallets to scoop up Ethereum in tranches, with several 10,000 ETH transfers (worth around $46 million each) coming from Coinbase Prime hot wallets.

Smaller frequent buys followed, such as a batch of 2,691 ETH.

This accumulation isn’t happening in isolation.

A new class of “Ethereum Treasury Firms,” publicly traded companies such as BitMine, SharpLink, and ETHZilla have also been adding ETH to their balance sheets.

Collectively, these firms now hold over 3.7 million ETH, nearly 3% of the total supply.

ETH price action and ETF inflows

The timing of these purchases was critical.

Ethereum traded at $4,578.88 at press time, up 3.3% in 24 hours and 9% on the week.

Moreover, on the 26th of August, spot ETH ETFs posted $455 million of inflows, according to Farside Investors.

Such momentum has fueled bullish forecasts, with Tom Lee, Chairman of BitMine and Head of Research at Fundstrat, arguing that ETH remains undervalued and should be trading closer to $6,000.

Is the “Ethereum killer” label no longer valid?

Even now, Solana [SOL], Avalanche [AVAX], Polygon [MATIC], Aptos [APT], and Sui [SUI] compete in niches such as gaming, high-speed transactions, and enterprise adoption.

However, Ethereum has secured its dominance through Layer-2 scaling solutions and its role as the settlement LAYER of the ecosystem.

As AMBCrypto previously noted, the outdated “Ethereum killer” label no longer applies.

Instead, the industry is evolving into a multi-chain landscape where Ethereum remains the foundation while specialized chains thrive in parallel.