Key Points
- Bitcoin’s IBIT spot ETF now holds about 3% of the cryptocurrency’s total supply, signaling a shift towards centralization.
- This change is leading to a decrease in Bitcoin’s volatility, turning it into a digital gold rather than a casino chip.
A new form of centralization is emerging within the ecosystem of Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency originally designed on the principle of decentralization. This development is having a significant impact that the market cannot overlook.
Bitcoin’s Centralization: A Double-Edged Sword?
BlackRock’s IBIT spot ETF now controls over 631,000 BTC, worth approximately $65 billion. This amount represents nearly 3% of Bitcoin’s total supply, indicating a significant concentration of the cryptocurrency’s finite 21 million units.
This shift isn’t just about increased adoption of Bitcoin. It represents a structural change in Bitcoin’s liquidity profile, with more of its supply being held in non-speculative hands. As a result, Bitcoin’s volatility is decreasing, and it is becoming a scarcer, more stable asset, similar to digital gold.
Capital Inflows and Bitcoin’s Price
Major capital inflows into Bitcoin ETFs, particularly BlackRock’s IBIT, have been consistently driving bullish price action. For instance, in November 2024, IBIT led record inflows of $5.6 billion, coinciding with a 45% BTC rally towards $99k.
Similarly, a $849 million single-day inflow into IBIT in March 2024 preceded Bitcoin’s new all-time high above $73k. In February 2024, weekly inflows exceeding $1.10 billion into spot ETFs like IBIT and Fidelity’s FBTC resulted in sustained price appreciation.
With each wave of inflows, Bitcoin’s volatility decreases, leading to more stable price increases backed by solid bid support. Therefore, it might be premature to predict a peak in Bitcoin’s price due to increasing centralization. Instead, Bitcoin appears to be preparing for the next upward movement, driven by real capital rather than speculative frenzy.
