Crypto News: Investors Rotate Into XRP and Solana as Bitcoin Funds Bleed Nearly $1 Billion Last Week

Crypto investors pulled nearly $1 billion from Bitcoin funds last week while simultaneously pouring fresh capital into XRP and Solana products — a divergence that points to selective altcoin rotation rather than a broad exit from digital assets, according to CoinShares weekly flow data. XRP products attracted $67.6 million in net inflows and Solana drew $55.1 million in the week ended May 15. Bitcoin funds bled $982 million over the same period and Ethereum products lost $249 million — two of the largest weekly outflow figures recorded this year for the two largest crypto assets by market cap. "Altcoins held up notably well," CoinShares Head of Research James Butterfill wrote in the report. Beyond XRP and Solana, inflows were also recorded for TON, Dogecoin, and Chainlink listed products. "Investors are looking past Bitcoin and Ethereum for selective exposure," Butterfill added. Why XRP is attracting capital during the selloff The rotation into XRP products is partly explained by the token's relative resilience during the recent market decline. XRP fell approximately 5.1% over the past week compared to Ethereum's 7.4% drop and Bitcoin's $5,000 slide from $82,000 — outperforming both major assets on a relative basis during a period when capital naturally gravitates toward whatever is holding up best. The CLARITY Act's advancement through the Senate Banking Committee earlier in the week also provided XRP with a specific regulatory tailwind that Bitcoin and Ethereum — already operating under clearer legal frameworks — did not receive to the same degree. For institutional allocators seeking crypto exposure with a legislative catalyst attached, XRP offered a more compelling near-term story than the macro-pressured Bitcoin trade. Bitcoin sentiment turns sharply bearish The $982 million weekly outflow from Bitcoin funds is not happening in isolation — it is being reinforced by multiple concurrent signals of deteriorating sentiment. ETF outflows have now totaled more than $1.5 billion since May 7 according to SoSoValue data, with Monday alone seeing $648 million exit — the largest single-day redemption since January 29. Cumulative volume delta in both spot and futures markets has turned deeply negative, reflecting aggressive selling rather than passive distribution. Options delta skew has risen to 14.4% from 10.9% as traders pay up for downside protection. Prediction markets are reflecting the same pessimism. On Polymarket, bettors now assign a 65% probability that Bitcoin falls to $75,000 this month — compared to just an 11% chance of a recovery to $85,000. The speed of that sentiment shift, from broadly constructive to heavily bearish in under two weeks, mirrors the pace at which the macro narrative flipped from rate cut expectations to rate hike odds following back-to-back hot CPI and PPI prints. The rotation picture: selective, not structural The key distinction in last week's flow data is that capital leaving Bitcoin and Ethereum is not leaving crypto entirely — it is rotating into specific assets with identifiable catalysts. XRP has the CLARITY Act. Solana has continued developer momentum, institutional staking activity, and real-world payments partnerships. TON, Dogecoin, and Chainlink each carry their own near-term narratives that attracted smaller but still positive flows. That selective rotation is a more nuanced signal than a blanket risk-off move. It suggests institutional investors are not abandoning digital assets as an asset class but are actively repositioning within it — trimming exposure to the two assets most correlated with the macro environment and adding to assets with idiosyncratic drivers that can perform independently of Federal Reserve policy and oil prices. Whether that rotation holds or reverses will depend heavily on Wednesday's FOMC minutes and whether Bitcoin finds support at the $76,000 level analysts have identified as the critical near-term floor.