Analysts Expect a Surge in Crypto ETFs in 2026 After the U.S. Government Reopens

Following the end of the U.S. government shutdown and the return to normal legislative sessions, analysts expect the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to approve many new crypto ETFs in 2026.

James Seyffart, ETF research analyst from Bloomberg Intelligence, noted that with the government shutdown over, the SEC can focus on speeding up crypto ETF approvals, potentially leading to many new launches soon.

Matt Hougan from Bitwise says there is a huge demand for crypto ETFs and ETPs. He predicts over 100 new launches, including numerous single-asset products, and is particularly excited about the introduction of more index-based crypto ETPs.

Hougan added that investors want crypto index ETFs to allow them to invest a small, easy portion of their money in crypto. This is because ETFs move money from traditional markets into crypto, helping push prices higher.

Heavy Crypto ETF Outflows Push Crypto Prices Lower

Despite strong investor interest, large withdrawals from crypto ETFs are causing cryptocurrency prices to drop further.

Canary Capital’s XRP ETF (XRPC) launched on Thursday with $58 million in first-day trading volume, making it the largest ETF launch of 2025. Despite this high trading volume,  data from CoinMarketCap shows that XRP’s price has dropped about 12% over the past week.

Bitcoin ETFs are seeing similar trends, with about $1.1 billion withdrawn in November, putting them on track for their worst month on record. With the average ETF purchase price being around $89,000, and Bitcoin recently falling below that, many investors are currently losing money.  

According to Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas, long-term whales sold most of the Bitcoin in October and November, and since then, the crypto market has fallen further while ETFs continue to lose money.