Ethereum Soars Past $4,600 as $1 Billion Floods Into Spot ETFs—Bull Run Just Warming Up?

Ethereum isn't just back—it's breaking records. The crypto giant smashed through $4,600 today, fueled by a jaw-dropping $1 billion injection into spot ETFs. Wall Street's late to the party, but hey, at least they finally showed up.

Spot ETFs: The Rocket Fuel

That billion-dollar inflow isn't just a number—it's a statement. Institutional money's piling into ETH like it's 2021 again, but with fewer memecoins and more actual infrastructure. The ETFs are pulling weight, proving even traditional finance can't ignore the smart contract king.

What's Next? ATH or Bust

With this kind of momentum, Ethereum's flirting with all-time highs. The network's humming, Layer 2s are eating fees alive, and now the big money's playing catch-up. Only question left: How long before the suits try to take credit for the rally they spent years fighting?

Ethereum ETFs Attract $8.2 Billion YTD

This price performance is largely attributed to a significant influx of capital into ethereum spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which recorded a staggering $1 billion in inflows in just a single day—the largest daily inflow to date.

According to data from Messari, year-to-date inflows into Ethereum ETFs have reached $8.2 billion, accounting for approximately 1.5% of ETH’s market capitalization. 

In contrast, bitcoin spot ETFs saw $178 million in inflows yesterday and $19.4 billion year-to-date, representing only 0.8% of BTC’s market cap. While BTC continues to lead in absolute flows, ETH is attracting nearly double the capital relative to its size, signaling a shift in investor sentiment.

The recent growth in Ethereum’s price is also influenced by favorable regulatory developments. The signing of the GENIUS Act by President Donald TRUMP has established a new regulatory framework for stablecoins, which could enhance their adoption and integration within financial systems. 

Major banks such as Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Citigroup, and Bank of America are actively exploring the implementation of dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies, further validating the potential of this market.

Public Companies Embrace ETH

Jake from Messari highlights that this regulatory development and key data points have contributed to the reversal of the bearish outlook on Ethereum’s price witnessed over the past months due to its poor performance. 

Approximately $130 billion in stablecoins are currently secured, accounting for roughly 50% of the market share, alongside $7.2 billion in tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) and a growing number of enterprises building on the Ethereum blockchain. 

Moreover, 865,000 ETH is now being held by public companies that are adopting Strategy’s (previously MicroStrategy) Bitcoin treasury approach, reflecting a diverse range of institutional buyers converging on Ethereum as a long-term investment.

SharpLink has appointed Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin as Chairman and holds over 360,000 ETH. BitMine has transitioned from Bitcoin mining to an Ethereum treasury model, while Bit Digital has completely shifted its focus to Ethereum, accumulating over 120,000 ETH.

Institutional investors have also been accumulating ETH at an impressive scale, with approximately 25 million ETH acquired since June. According to the analyst, this accumulation is not driven by retail speculation but reflects a strategic allocation by institutional firms.

Ultimately, the convergence of stablecoins, tokenization, enterprise infrastructure, and treasury demand is resulting in tangible capital flows, as evidenced by on-chain activity and public company disclosures. As Jake puts it:

What was directional interest is becoming allocation. $ETH isn’t re-rating because crypto wants it to. Wall Street balance sheets are forcing the move.

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com