BlackRock Sparks $287M Ether ETF Rebound After Sharp Outflows

After nearly a week of withdrawals, U.S. spot Ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs) saw a sharp reversal on Thursday as investors poured in $287.6 million. The surge came after four consecutive days of outflows totaling more than $924 million, signaling that institutional appetite for Ether may be regaining momentum.

BlackRock Leads the Recovery

BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust accounted for the bulk of the inflows, attracting $233.5 million in a single day. As per SoSoValue data, Fidelity’s Ethereum Fund followed with $28.5 million, while other issuers combined for around $6 million. This rebound pushed cumulative net inflows for Ether ETFs above $12 billion, underscoring the renewed confidence among large-scale investors.

Significantly, the fresh inflows lifted total ETF reserves to 6.42 million ETH, worth $27.66 billion. This represents about 5.31% of Ether’s circulating supply. The move comes just days after one of the largest single-session withdrawals this month, when $429 million exited on Tuesday.

Growing Corporate Reserves

Besides ETFs, corporate treasuries are increasingly accumulating Ether. According to Strategic ETH Reserve data, institutions currently hold around 4.10 million ETH valued at $17.66 billion. Notably, SharpLink Gaming recently made headlines with a $667 million Ether purchase at near-record highs, bringing its holdings to over 740,000 ETH.

This aggressive accumulation puts SharpLink in second place among institutional holders, trailing only Bitmine Immersion Tech, which controls around 1.5 million ETH. The concentration of assets among a handful of firms has sparked debate about whether such “hoarding” benefits the broader Ethereum ecosystem.

Community Debate on Value

On Reddit, the topic of corporate Ether reserves has ignited mixed reactions. Some community members argue that large institutional purchases help by reducing circulating supply and supporting the price. They also point out that if these reserves are staked, they strengthen the security of the network.

However, others disagree, as a Redditor noted that Ethereum already has a strong base of validators, suggesting more central entities could undermine decentralization. A different commenter disagreed, writing that institutional presence is a good thing since it attracts attention and legitimacy to Ether, which benefits further usage in decentralized finance.