Institutional money shifts from bitcoin to XRP and Solana, Wintermute says altcoin rotation clear

As bitcoin moves sideways, institutional money is shifting to XRP and Solana.

On Sept. 1 (local time), blockchain outlet U.Today reported that market maker Wintermute assessed that the cryptocurrency market was not shaken by hawkish remarks by the U.S. Federal Reserve chair and a drop in U.S. tech stocks, and that rotation by big money into altcoins became clear in the process.

The key is that money flows are changing while bitcoin holds up. Bitcoin entered a correction after a 23 percent surge and ended last week little changed. By contrast, an altcoin index rose 0.61 percent, beating returns on bitcoin and ethereum.

Large investors focused on XRP and Solana. Inflows into exchange-traded funds related to the two assets hit their highest level so far in 2026. Solana funds took in $154 million, and XRP funds took in $110 million. Wintermute said the trend showed the rotation of money was broadening across the industry.

Support at the market’s lower end also came closer to institutions than retail investors. Spot bitcoin ETFs saw $924 million of inflows over a week. But a run of inflows for 9 consecutive trading days ended with $202 million of outflows last Friday. Ethereum funds gathered $816 million without a single day of outflows.