Bitcoin (BTC 0.10%) is showing signs of life. The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization traded above $81,000 on Wednesday, May 6, marking the first time in months that it’s traded at those levels.
The record of $126,198 notched on Oct. 6, 2025, is a long way off, but, hey, rebounds have to start somewhere. Time will tell whether Bitcoin’s recent strength evolves into something more substantive or is fleeting, but what’s not debatable is that institutional investors are embracing Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and other crypto exchange-traded funds.
Institutional adoption boosts the long-term case for some crypto ETFs. Image source: Getty Images.
Participation in cryptocurrency via ETFs by high-level asset allocators isn’t necessarily a harbinger of near-term upside, but it does signal long-term commitment. Retail investors have access to the same products the pros use for digital currency exposure. Here are some of the best to consider.
Two rulers of Bitcoin ETFs
When the original batch of spot Bitcoin ETFs debuted in January 2024 — a group including the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT 2.88%) and the Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC 2.86%) — the floodgates opened for institutional adoption of digital currency. The reason was simple. Due to security and storage issues associated with direct ownership of Bitcoin, some institutions couldn’t participate, but ETFs alleviated those burdens.
A love affair was born, as evidenced by the IBIT ETF’s current $66.7 billion in assets under management, compared with the Fidelity fund’s equivalent $15.5 billion. That’s $82.2 billion across just two Bitcoin ETFs, and a tally like that isn’t reached without the support of professional investors.
A December 2025 survey by State Street Investment Management found that 68% of institutional investors were already engaged with Bitcoin ETFs or planned to gain exposure to them.
Today’s Change
(-2.88%) $-1.29
Current Price
$43.53
Key Data Points
Day’s Range
$43.02 – $43.76
52wk Range
$35.30 – $71.82
Volume
56M
In fact, crypto ETFs hauled in $40 billion in new money last year, some of it institutional. Inflows like that, against a rough backdrop for Bitcoin and friends, may indicate that the smart money sees long-term opportunity in some of the major digital currencies.
Ethereum is getting some love, too
Ethereum (ETH +0.62%) is the second-largest digital asset behind Bitcoin, and, thanks to funds such as the iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHA 4.54%), it is also accessible in an ETF wrapper. This cryptocurrency ETF has $7.5 billion in assets under management. That’s likely a sign of institutional adoption.
Whether that translates into heavier inflows into products like this Ethereum ETF remains to be seen. Still, it is clear that major non-crypto institutions, including iShares parent BlackRock and Deutsche Bank, view Ethereum as a preferred blockchain. BlackRock even has a tokenized fund rooted in Ethereum, and when that product expanded to five protocols, three of those were Ethereum Layer 2s.
An extra option
The drawback with the iShares Ethereum Trust is that it’s not structured for staking. This means that investors don’t earn rewards on shares as they would if they directly owned the digital currency and locked up a portion of those holdings.
The iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHB 4.48%), which debuted in February, solves that problem and is already a hit with investors, as evidenced by its $666 million in assets. This ETF’s selling points include monthly income and convenience, as it delivers staking rewards without requiring investors to directly hold Ethereum or stake it themselves.