Institutional demand for Bitcoin continues to rise: ETF and large wallet growth are synchronized, with long-term prospects for BTC attracting attention in 2026

January 20 News, on-chain data analysis platform CryptoQuant pointed out that institutional demand for Bitcoin remains strong into early 2026. Data shows that the number of wallets holding 100 to 1,000 BTC continues to increase, a scale often regarded as a significant indicator of institutional investors and related financial products, reflecting that the US market’s willingness to allocate to Bitcoin has not cooled down.

CryptoQuant founder Ki Young Ju stated on Tuesday that over the past year, such wallets have added approximately 577,000 BTC, including holdings related to spot Bitcoin ETFs, and the inflow trend continues. On-chain statistics also show that in the past 24 months, the Bitcoin holdings of these addresses have increased by about 33%, a timeline that closely coincides with the launch of the first spot Bitcoin ETFs.

From a capital perspective, although Bitcoin’s price has only risen slightly by about 6% this year, the net inflow of US spot Bitcoin ETFs has reached $1.2 billion, indicating that institutional investors are more focused on long-term allocation value rather than short-term price fluctuations. Political economist Crypto Seth commented that institutions’布局 in Bitcoin and Ethereum is still in the early stages, and the market landscape from 2030 to 2040 could be far beyond current understanding.

In addition to ETFs, the expansion of digital asset funds has also driven institutional holdings upward. Since July last year, cryptocurrencies like Strategy, led by Michael Saylor, have accumulated about 260,000 BTC, valued at nearly $24 billion at current prices. Glassnode data shows that related holdings have increased by about 30% over six months, significantly surpassing the new supply from miners during the same period. Currently, DAT’s total holdings exceed 1.1 million BTC.

In contrast to institutions, retail investor sentiment remains cautious. The Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index this week fell back into the “fear” zone, with a score of 32. Due to US-EU trade tensions, Bitcoin’s price has fallen from the previous high of $97,000 to below $92,000, with short-term volatility intensifying. However, from a medium- to long-term perspective, the continued accumulation of institutional demand is still regarded as an important foundation supporting Bitcoin’s trend into 2026 and beyond.