Institutional Investors to Drive 2026 Crypto Inflows: JPMorgan

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JPMorgan analysts predict that capital inflows into crypto markets will climb further in 2026, led increasingly by institutional investors. This projection comes after an estimated record inflow of approximately $130 billion in 2025, a figure that would be about one-third higher than the total for 2024.

A Wednesday report from the bank’s analysts, including managing director Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, links the expected institutional resurgence to regulatory progress. The passage of new rules, such as the proposed Clarity Act in the US, is seen as a potential catalyst for broader institutional adoption and renewed activity in venture funding and mergers within the crypto industry.

To reach their conclusions, the team aggregates capital flow data from multiple channels. Their analysis combines exchange-traded fund flows, the flow impulse from CME futures, venture capital fundraising, and purchases made by digital asset treasury firms.

The analysts attributed the strong 2025 inflow largely to retail-driven investments into spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs, as well as corporate treasury purchases of Bitcoin. In a contrasting trend, they observed that buying activity implied by Bitcoin and Ethereum CME futures decelerated significantly from 2024, signaling reduced participation from institutional entities like hedge funds during that period.