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XRP and solana volatility in 2025 was twice as bumpy as bitcoin's
ETFs tied to altcoins need to pull in deeper liquidity to match BTC's chill.
Updated Dec 31, 2025, 3:59 p.m. Published Dec 31, 2025, 11:14 a.m.
What to know:
- Trading XRP and solana was twice as volatile as bitcoin in 2025.
- ETFs tied to altcoins need to pull in deeper liquidity to match bitcoin's chill.
- BTC's volatility has declined steadily through the year, mainly due to institutional demand for ETFs.
Trading and solana felt twice as bumpy as bitcoin in 2025, dashing hopes of market maturation beyond the largest cryptocurrency.
Realized volatility over the past 365 days hit 87% for solana and 80% for XRP compared with BTC's calmer 43%, according to data tracked by CoinDesk Indices. BNB clocked 55% and ether 77%.
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Altcoins have tended to be more volatile than bitcoin over the years. Still, the latest data stands out because it shows that exchange-traded funds and other alternative investment vehicles tied to these tokens need to pull in deeper liquidity to match BTC's chill.
Except for BNB, the four largest coins by market value (excluding stablecoins) have CME futures and U.S.-listed spot ETFs as proxies for institutional activity.
XRP ETFs have pulled in over $1 billion in investor money since their debut in November, according to data source SoSoValue. The equally nascent SOL ETFs have amassed $763.91 million.
If the demand remains strong in the coming year, it could dampen price volatility, as observed in bitcoin.
Bitcoin spot ETFs, which debuted in January 2024, have attracted $56.96 billion in net inflows to date. This surge has fueled interest in advanced products such as covered calls on those ETFs, leading to a steady decline in volatility in BTC this year.
The same can be said about ether ETFs, which started trading the following July and have seen net inflows of $12.4 billion since their debut in mid-2024.
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