Outflows Streak Hits Week Five: US$288M Exodus Drags Crypto Funds Deeper into the Doldrums

Prashant Jha

Mon, February 23, 2026 at 10:32 PM GMT+9 4 min read

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Key Takeaways

Crypto investment funds saw $288 million in outflows last week, marking the fifth consecutive week of net selling and pushing year-to-date outflows to $4 billion.

U.S. investors led the exodus with $347 million withdrawn, while Europe and Canada showed modest inflows of $59 million, highlighting a clear regional split in sentiment.

Bitcoin funds recorded the largest outflows at $215 million amid very low trading volumes of $17 billion, the weakest since July 2025, signaling growing investor apathy.

Crypto investors are not just trimming positions — they are heading for the exits.

For the fifth straight week, money has flowed out of digital asset investment products, with $288 million pulled in the latest reporting period.

The steady retreat, outlined in CoinShares’ newest weekly fund flows report, underscores a market stuck in low gear — cautious, fragmented, and increasingly divided by geography.

Five Weeks of Selling as U.S. Leads the Retreat

The $288 million weekly outflow extends a persistent slide in crypto investment products and ETFs.

Year-to-date, total net outflows have now reached $4 billion.

While that figure remains below the $6 billion recorded over the same period last year, the uninterrupted five-week streak tells a clearer story: conviction is thinning.

The United States drove the bulk of last week’s withdrawals.

American investors pulled $347 million from crypto funds, reflecting what appears to be continued risk aversion amid softer prices and broader macroeconomic uncertainty.

Across the Atlantic, the mood looked markedly different.

European and Canadian investors added a combined $59 million, suggesting some see the pullback as a buying opportunity rather than a warning sign.

Switzerland led regional inflows with $19.5 million, followed by Canada with $16.8 million and Germany with $16.2 million.

Crypto Fund Trading Volumes Sink to July Lows

If fund flows reflect positioning, trading volumes reveal participation — and participation is fading.

Volumes across crypto investment products dropped sharply to $17 billion last week, the lowest level since July 2025.

After several weeks of elevated activity, the sharp decline suggests many investors are stepping back rather than stepping in.

CoinShares described the shift as “growing investor apathy,” a telling phrase for a market once driven by momentum and rapid inflows.

Lower volumes tend to dampen price action and reduce volatility — but they also point to dwindling enthusiasm and fewer fresh catalysts entering the space.

Bitcoin Bears the Brunt

Bitcoin (BTC) once again absorbed most of the selling pressure.

Story Continues  

Funds tied to the largest cryptocurrency recorded $215 million in outflows, accounting for the majority of the week’s losses.

The data reinforces Bitcoin’s outsized influence on broader crypto sentiment — when it weakens, capital tends to retreat from the ecosystem more broadly.

At the same time, short-Bitcoin products — investment vehicles designed to profit from price declines — attracted $5.5 million in inflows.

Notably, this marked the largest inflow for any single category last week.

The shift suggests that a segment of the market is not merely exiting exposure but actively positioning for further downside.

Ethereum (ETH) followed with $36.5 million in outflows, while multi-asset products shed $32.5 million. Tron (TRX) funds lost $18.9 million.

Not everything moved in lockstep with the broader selloff.

A handful of altcoins saw modest inflows: XRP attracted $3.5 million, Solana (SOL) added $3.3 million, and Chainlink (LINK) brought in $1.2 million.

Still, those gains were too small to offset the broader retreat, leaving the overall market in negative territory.

A Market Searching for Direction

Year-to-date outflows of $4 billion remain below last year’s pace, offering some relative perspective.

Yet the five-week slide and collapsing volumes suggest a market struggling to regain momentum.

The regional divide is particularly notable.

While U.S. investors appear cautious — possibly reacting to macroeconomic signals, interest-rate expectations, or recent price softness — European investors are selectively leaning in.

Bitcoin’s central role remains unmistakable.

Its performance continues to dictate capital flows, and renewed interest in short products signals that some traders anticipate more turbulence ahead.

For now, the message from fund flows is clear: enthusiasm has cooled, conviction is uneven, and real money is moving carefully — if at all.

In crypto, sentiment can turn quickly. But at this stage, the data points to a market not yet ready to accelerate — and still searching for its next catalyst.

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The post Outflows Streak Hits Week Five: US$288M Exodus Drags Crypto Funds Deeper into the Doldrums appeared first on ccn.com.

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