“ETFs tied to altcoins need to pull in deeper liquidity to match BTC’s chill.”, — write: www.coindesk.com
Realized volatility over the past 365 days hit 87% for solana and 80% for XRP compared with BTC’s calmer 43%, according to data tracked by CoinDesk Indices. BNB BNB$862.96 clocked 55% and ether ETH$2,971.83 77%.
Altcoins have tended to be more volatile than bitcoin over the years. Still, the latest data stands out because it shows that exchange-traded funds and other alternative investment vehicles tied to these tokens need to pull in deeper liquidity to match BTC’s chill.
Except for BNB, the four largest coins by market value (excluding stablecoins) have CME futures and US-listed spot ETFs as proxies for institutional activity.
SOL is the most volatile among the top five tokens by market value, except stablecoins. (CoinDesk Indices)
XRP ETFs have pulled in over $1 billion in investor money since their debut in November, according to data source SoSoValue. The equally nascent SOL ETFs have amassed $763.91 million.
If the demand remains strong in the coming year, it could dampen price volatility, as observed in bitcoin.
Bitcoin spot ETFs, which debuted in January 2024, have attracted $56.96 billion in net inflows to date. This surge has fueled interest in advanced products such as covered calls on those ETFs, leading to a steady decline in volatility in BTC this year.
The same can be said about ether ETFs, which started trading the following July and have seen net inflows of $12.4 billion since their debut in mid-2024.
KuCoin captured a record share of centralized exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the broader crypto market.
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per monthmarking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralized exchange volumeas KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumeswhich slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly spliteach exceeding $500 billion for the year, signaling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activityreinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activityindicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
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Bubblemaps CEO says outflows seen on Lighter on Dec. 31 are not uncommon as users rebalance hedging positions and move on to the next farming opportunity.
- Approximately $250 million was withdrawn from Lighter after its $675 million LIT token airdrop.
- The withdrawals represent about 20% of Lighter’s total value locked, according to Bubblemaps CEO Nicolas Vaiman.
- Large withdrawals post-token generation events are common as early participants exit, says CertiK’s Natalie Newson.
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