BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, has made an aggressive start to 2026, channeling more than $1 billion into Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) through its spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
On the Bitcoin side, data from spot ETF flows shows that BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust accumulated approximately $888.6 million over the first few trading days of the year.
Buying activity was particularly pronounced on January 5, when inflows reached about $372.5 million, marking the single largest daily purchase in the period.
This followed solid inflows of roughly $287.4 million on January 2, before BlackRock added a further $228.7 million on January 6, even as the broader Bitcoin ETF market recorded net outflows that day.
BlackRock has also been active in Ethereum, where its spot Ethereum ETF brought in a combined $348.9 million over the same dates. The largest daily Ethereum purchase occurred on January 6, when inflows totaled about $198.8 million.
Earlier buying included $102.9 million on January 5 and $47.2 million on January 2, pointing to a steady accumulation pattern rather than a single one-off allocation.
In total, BlackRock bought approximately $1.24 billion worth of Bitcoin and Ethereum in early 2026.
Impact on crypto prices
Indeed, BlackRock’s purchases have helped the cryptocurrency market regain momentum in 2026.
In this context, Bitcoin is pushing to sustain its price above the $90,000 level, trading at $92,100 as of press time. Meanwhile, Ethereum has established its price above $3,000, trading at $3,218.
More broadly, the spot ETF market is attracting increased attention, which could support further price growth in the underlying assets.
For instance, banking giant Morgan Stanley has filed with U.S. regulators to launch a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund, marking a further expansion of its digital asset strategy.
The application, submitted on January 6, seeks approval for a fund that would hold Bitcoin directly and trade on a U.S. exchange if cleared.
The proposed product would track Bitcoin’s market performance after fees, with the ticker yet to be disclosed. The filing also referenced a planned Solana trust.
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