$1.07 Billion Withdrawn from Crypto Funds Amid Geopolitical Tensions

Crypto funds saw $1.07 billion outflow amid geopolitical tensions.

From May 11 to 15, cryptocurrency investment products experienced an outflow of $1.07 billion—the first in seven weeks and the third largest for the entire year of 2026.

Crypto ETPs and ETFs saw outflows of US$1.1B last week.@Bitcoin saw US$982M of outflows. @ethereum saw outflows of US$249M, its largest since 30th January. Altcoins held up notably well. XRP (@Ripple) recorded US$67.6M of inflows and @solana US$55.1M, both accelerating on… pic.twitter.com/EJjwcZqzMu

— CoinShares (@CoinSharesCo) May 18, 2026

According to a CoinShares report, the total assets under management decreased from $159 billion to $157 billion. The primary impact was on Bitcoin and Ethereum, although some altcoins continued to attract capital. Analysts linked market pressure to investor concerns about risky investments due to escalating tensions around Iran.

Bitcoin and Ethereum Lead the Outflow

Funds based on the first cryptocurrency lost $982 million. Since the beginning of the year, net inflows into products have decreased to $3.9 billion.

Ethereum funds recorded an outflow of $249 million—the largest since January 30. Blockchain company stock ETFs also came under pressure, with investors withdrawing $133 million.

CoinShares noted that negative sentiment intensified amid geopolitical tensions around Iran. However, the discussion of the CLARITY Act in the United States partially supported the market—with crypto funds even showing a positive daily inflow of $174 million on Thursday.

Investors Shift Focus to Altcoins

Despite the overall outflow, several digital assets demonstrated resilient demand. Significant inflows were recorded by:

• XRP — $67.6 million;
• Solana — $55.1 million;
• Toncoin — $7.7 million;
• Sui — $4.7 million;
• Ondo — $4.1 million;
• Chainlink — $3.9 million;
• Dogecoin — $3.2 million.

In total, 11 assets recorded positive capital flows, which analysts interpreted as a sign of a more selective approach by investors.

U.S. Sells, Europe Buys

The main outflow was from the United States—$1.14 billion. Meanwhile, European investors maintained a positive outlook:

• Switzerland attracted $22.8 million;
• Germany — $22 million;
• The Netherlands — $7.5 million.

Conversely, Canada recorded an outflow of $12.6 million.

Earlier, from May 4 to 8, inflows into exchange-traded cryptocurrency products amounted to $857.9 million.