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U.S. Spot Bitcoin ETFs See Nearly $650 Million in Largest Outflow Since Late January

U.S. Spot Bitcoin ETFs See Nearly $650 Million in Largest Outflow Since Late January

According to SoSoValue and Santiment, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded about $648.6 million in net outflows on May 18, their largest single-day withdrawal since late January, while spot Ethereum ETFs extended losses into May 19.

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Fact Check
The core claim of $649 million net outflow from U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs on May 18, 2026, led by BlackRock IBIT, is strongly corroborated by multiple independent sources: Odaily (citing SoSoValue directly), KuCoin flash news, Bitget News (citing AiCoin), and the CryptoPatel X post. All agree on the $649M total (more precisely $648.64M) and IBIT leading at $448M. The Ethereum ETF outflow of $86.31M is confirmed by the CryptoPatel X post data. The 'sixth straight session' detail for Ethereum ETF outflows could not be independently verified from available sources, introducing minor uncertainty, but the primary figures are well-supported. The slight rounding of $648.64M to $649M is standard journalistic practice and does not undermine the claim.
Summary

According to SoSoValue and Santiment, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded about $648 million to $648.6 million in net outflows on May 18, the largest single-day withdrawal since late January, with Santiment specifying it was the biggest since January 29. BlackRock’s IBIT led redemptions at roughly $448 million, or $448.33 million in a more precise figure. The pullback came as Bitcoin fell below $78,000 amid geopolitical tensions and inflation concerns, even as a separate report said long-term Bitcoin holders continued accumulating on-chain. Despite the outflows, total net assets across U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs remained at $100.485 billion and cumulative net inflows stood at $57.691 billion. U.S. spot Ethereum ETFs also stayed under pressure, posting $86.31 million in net outflows on May 18 and another $62.30 million on May 19, led by BlackRock’s ETHA outflows, while Bitwise’s ETHW recorded modest inflows on May 19.

Terms & Concepts
  • Spot Bitcoin ETF: An exchange-traded fund that directly holds Bitcoin, giving investors regulated market exposure without owning or custodying the asset themselves.
  • Net outflow: The amount of money withdrawn from a fund or investment product after subtracting any new investments over a given period.
  • Long-term holders: Bitcoin investors who keep their coins for extended periods and are often tracked on-chain as an indicator of longer-term conviction rather than short-term trading activity.