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XRP Leads a $90 Million Rush Into Altcoin ETFs as Wall Street Broadens Its Crypto Bet

By Isaac • August 23, 2026 7:23 pm • Comments

Wall Street’s crypto buying did not stop with Bitcoin and Ethereum last week.

U.S. exchange-traded funds tied to XRP, Solana, Chainlink and Hyperliquid pulled in nearly $90 million during the week ended August 21. The total is modest beside the $2.6 billion that flowed into Bitcoin and Ethereum products, but the distribution tells an important story: regulated demand is spreading deeper into the market.

CryptoSlate reported that XRP products led the group with $39.78 million of net inflows. That was their strongest week since mid-May and extended their positive run to six consecutive weeks.

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Solana funds followed with $28.34 million, while Chainlink products attracted $13.35 million and Hyperliquid funds added $3.89 million. Smaller inflows into Avalanche, Hedera and Dogecoin products pushed the broader altcoin total close to $90 million.

XRP has become the clearest test of whether this rotation can last.

The latest allocation lifted cumulative net inflows into U.S. XRP products to roughly $1.55 billion. Weekly trading volume reached a record $271.74 million as XRP climbed from below $1 to as high as $1.60 before cooling toward $1.49.

Those numbers show regulated buyers following the breakout, but they do not prove that every piece of institutional Ripple news creates direct demand for XRP. That distinction still matters.

The ETF flow is harder evidence. It measures money entering listed XRP products rather than relying on assumptions about how a bank partnership or corporate financing may eventually affect the token.

Solana’s streak is even longer. Its $28.34 million week marked an eighth consecutive week of positive flows and the strongest intake since May.

Those eight weeks brought in approximately $56.3 million and lifted cumulative net inflows to about $1.19 billion.

SOL briefly traded above $100 for the first time since February before retreating toward $93. The price move was larger than the fund total alone would explain, but a steady two-month sequence of inflows gives the rally a firmer base than one explosive trading day.

Chainlink and Hyperliquid also showed why this week was different. Chainlink’s $13.35 million intake was its strongest since the products’ debut week, while Hyperliquid drew nearly $4 million as interest spread beyond the largest established assets.

CoinShares found a similar shift in its August survey of professional investors. Digital-asset allocations rose for the first time since the October 2025 selloff, driven by institutions.

Some respondents reported moving part of their exposure away from Bitcoin and Ether and toward altcoins. HYPE was among the assets specifically named.

The survey covered 30 investors responsible for approximately $1.16 trillion in assets under management. Average digital-asset allocation rose to 1.2% of portfolios, with the increase funded by institutions rotating out of fixed income and commodities.

Bitcoin still ranked first for growth potential, but the outlook for Ether deteriorated amid uncertainty around the CLARITY Act and turnover at the Ethereum Foundation. The survey’s “other” asset category posted the largest increase, with respondents naming Zcash, HYPE and SUI.

The survey tracks portfolio allocations rather than weekly ETF cash movement. Both sets of data point in the same direction: professional investors are beginning to test exposure beyond the two dominant assets.

The macro backdrop gave the rotation room to run.

The rally accelerated as long-term Treasury yields fell after the U.S. Treasury increased bond buybacks. Lower yields can ease pressure on risk assets by reducing the return investors receive for holding safer government debt.

That does not make the altcoin move automatic or safe. The combined $90 million remains tiny compared with the capital entering Bitcoin and Ethereum products, and sharp weekly price gains can attract momentum buyers who leave just as quickly.

The stronger signal is the sequence. XRP has logged six positive weeks.

Solana has logged eight. Both products are building cumulative inflows while trading volume rises and regulated access expands.

For now, XRP is leading the move, Solana is proving the longest staying power, and Chainlink and Hyperliquid are showing that institutional interest is no longer confined to crypto’s top two assets.

If those streaks survive the market’s next pullback, this week may be remembered as the point when the ETF trade stopped being only a Bitcoin-and-Ethereum story.

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