Bitcoin spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) posted net inflows of $3.52 billion in August, the highest monthly performance this year.

Cointelegraph, a blockchain media outlet, reported on Sept. 2 that bitcoin rose about 25 percent in the same month, sharply reducing cumulative net outflows since the start of the year.

August’s result was a sharp improvement from July’s net inflows of $172 million. Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded their largest monthly inflow in 2026. Bitcoin also posted its strongest monthly gain since a 37.29 percent rise in November 2024. As a result, cumulative net outflows from bitcoin ETFs since the start of the year narrowed about 66 percent to $1.77 billion from $5.29 billion.

Inflows continued across most trading sessions. Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded net inflows on 16 of 21 trading days in August, including nine straight trading days of net inflows from Aug. 17 to 27. Total net assets rose about 31 percent to $99.61 billion at end-August from $76.29 billion at end-July. Over the same period, monthly trading volume increased about 49 percent to $58.63 billion from $39.37 billion.

The strong August momentum weakened in early September. Bitcoin spot ETFs posted net inflows of $216.7 million on Sept. 1, then switched to net outflows of $236.46 million on Sept. 2. That was the largest daily outflow since net outflows of $265.37 million on July 31.

The market also wobbled. Bitcoin was above $80,000 at the end of August but briefly fell below $77,000 on Sept. 2. The reversal in ETF fund flows in a single day coincided with that price weakness.

Other cryptocurrency ETFs maintained a relatively steady trend. Ethereum spot ETFs posted net inflows of about $11 million on Sept. 2, while XRP spot ETFs recorded net inflows of $14.4 million. Ethereum spot ETFs had been in net outflows of about $1.12 billion year-to-date through end-July, but August inflows pushed them back to cumulative net inflows of $732 million since the start of the year.

XRP spot ETFs also saw year-to-date cumulative net inflows increase to $502 million from $343 million at end-July. That was an increase of about 46 percent in a month.

Bitcoin spot ETF flows have been volatile by month this year. The largest monthly net outflow was $4.51 billion in June, followed by $2.43 billion in May and $1.61 billion in January. Against that backdrop, the large inflows in August offset a significant part of the year’s weakness.

Early September is showing a different direction from August. Inflows into bitcoin spot ETFs have slowed, and bitcoin has slipped from above the $80,000 level. Ethereum and XRP spot ETFs, meanwhile, remain in net inflow territory for the year to date, drawing attention to whether the divergence in fund flows among major cryptocurrency ETFs will continue.