Solana-focused ETFs saw their largest inflows as the crypto market remained volatile. The flows coincided with a surge in altcoin deposits on major exchanges, signaling a reallocation toward higher-beta tokens.
Solana ETFs reached a new weekly high, attracting approximately $17 million in new investments alone. Solana products saw significant inflows, with the Bitwise SOL ETF (BSOL) reporting $5.01 million inflows in a single day.
This surge in Solana ETFs is not new; last December, they saw total inflows equivalent to $95.3 million. According to market data, Solana’s inflows contrast sharply with the outflows experienced by Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs.
Recently, over $1 billion was withdrawn from BTC and ETH funds in just one week. Market commentary attributed this divergence to active product launches and dedicated staking ETPs.
Altcoin deposits and the future of Solana ETFs
Exchanges like Binance and Coinbase spearheaded a wave of altcoin deposits in January 2026, with tokens such as Chainlink (LINK), Shiba Inu (SHIB), Axie Infinity (AXS), Aave (AAVE), and Uniswap (UNI) among the largest inflows.
Another key driver of the Solana ecosystem’s success is a resurgence in memecoin activity. A prime example is the PUMP token, which surged nearly 25% with renewed issuance. On-chain metrics also reflected renewed engagement, with active addresses on Solana reaching a six-month high in early January, highlighting the divergence between activity and price.
However, Solana’s price continues to fluctuate with market participants’ movements. After several ups and downs, SOL registered a loss of approximately 14% on January 26, reaching a price of $138 when Alameda Research announced the release of 193,000 SOL tokens, in addition to FTX’s asset announcements.
For traders and managers, the divergence between ETF flows and the spot price underscores a market split: institutions are adding structured exposure while spot liquidity and token supply events keep volatility high.
Investors are now looking to regulatory signals and product launches for confirmation—SEC decisions on spot approvals and the impact of staking ETPs will shape institutional appetite—while longer-term developments, including Japan’s path to legalizing crypto ETFs by 2028, will continue to influence cross-border allocation and product innovation.
