CoinDesk
9 October 2025
3 0

Crypto Treasuries and ETFs Surge with Institutional Investment

Digital Asset Quarterly Review Q3

  • Q3 saw a recovery in digital assets as liquidity improved globally.
  • The Federal Reserve's rate cut to 4.0-4.25% benefitted risk assets, with Bitcoin rising by 6.4%.
  • Institutional demand drove the market, contrasting with trader-driven influences.

ETFs Take the Lead

  • U.S. spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs had net inflows of $8.78 billion and $9.59 billion, respectively.
  • Ether ETFs outpaced Bitcoin for the first time, indicating institutional diversification.
  • Public companies added 190,000 BTC to treasuries, totaling 1.13 million BTC, over 5% of supply.

Broader Market Rotations

  • Bitcoin's dominance decreased from 65% to 59%, with altcoins gaining traction.
  • CoinDesk 20 Index returned 30.8%, outperforming Bitcoin substantially.
  • Leading gains: Ether (66.7%), Avalanche (66.9%), Chainlink (59.2%).
  • Ethereum reached an all-time high near $4,955 in August.

Treasuries Go Multi-asset

  • Companies report holdings in over 20 digital assets, with Ethereum at $17.7 billion.
  • This marks diversification beyond Bitcoin in corporate treasuries.
  • A few firms now dominate trading within the "digital asset treasury" space.

Benchmarks and Structure

  • Indices like the CoinDesk 20 are crucial for ETFs and derivatives.
  • SEC approvals may accelerate trends toward multi-asset ETFs.

The Path Ahead

  • Historically strong Q4 for Bitcoin, averaging 79% growth since 2013.
  • Crypto is shifting to a structured, multi-asset allocation space with corporate involvement.

Ask an Expert: Key Points for Advisors

  1. Digital assets are expanding, with projections for stablecoins to exceed $4 trillion by 2030.
  2. Bitcoin should not be the sole benchmark; diversification is key.
  3. Broad-based benchmarks like the CoinDesk 20 Index provide performance metrics for top digital assets.

Additional Insights

  • Morgan Stanley advises a 4% crypto allocation for portfolios.
  • Bitcoin hit a new all-time high of $125,835.92.
  • The first regulated Bitcoin life insurer raised $82 million for expansion.