XRP ETFs see $40.8M exit on first day of trading
US spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded their first day of net outflows since their launch, with about $40.8 million exiting the products on Wednesday, ending several weeks of steady outflows.
XRP (XRP) ETFs' recovery marked the first daily reversal since mid-November, according to data from SoSoValue. The day outside also followed a strong start to the year, with the funds having consecutive days of gains, pushing their total net income to $1.2 billion.
The red day coincided with heavy selling pressure on major crypto-linked ETFs. Spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs posted $486 million in outflows on Wednesday, their biggest day of net outflows since November, according to data from Farside Investors. The Spot Ether (ETH) ETF turned negative on Wednesday, recording a net inflow of $98 million.
Despite the early exit date, XRP ETFs remain the strongest performing crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs), with total net assets still above $1.5 billion.
The Crypto ETF Flow Has Changed in Early 2026
In the opening trading days of the year, ETF flows varied widely by asset class. The spot BTC ETF started in January with a record high of $471 million in inflows on Friday and $697 million on Monday, before $243 million in outflows on Tuesday and $486 million on Wednesday.
Spot ETH ETFs recorded a similar pattern. The fund spent $174 million on Friday, $168 million on Monday, and $114 million on Tuesday before Wednesday's $98 million exit.
Smaller crypto ETFs performed better. Spot Solana (SOL) ETFs continued to attract capital with modest but consistent gains during the first trading days of January.
The Chainlink ( LINK ) ETF turned from several days of modest inflows of $822,000 to $2.2 million to flat inflows on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Dogecoin (DOGE) ETFs saw no net movement on Tuesday and Wednesday, after starting inflows of $2.3 million and $1.6 million on Friday and Monday, respectively.
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One-way flow to normality
Wednesday's outage follows weeks of strong demand for XRP-linked ETF products. ETFs have added more than $1 billion in assets under management, as investors recognize the token and its performance. On December 19, Sui Chung, CEO of CF Benchmarks, said that XRP's long history makes it easy to attract traditional investors.
The XRP ETF's momentum continued into December. As of December 30, spot XRP ETFs had a 29-day streak of inflows, although other crypto ETF products showed strong monthly inflows as traders made year-end reversals.
XRP entered 2026 as one of the best performing major currencies, buoyed by ETF inflows, bullish sentiment and declining exchange rates. However, analysts caution that ETF earnings and sentiment do not provide for sustained price appreciation.
The first exit date may be a reflection of this transition. At the time of writing, XRP is at $2.12, down 7% in the last 24 hours.
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