How Much Money Will Flow Into Bitcoin ETFs? Here’s One Projection
Alex Thorn, head of research at Galaxy, sees inflows to spot bitcoin ETFs reaching more than $14 billion in the first year after a potential SEC approval and the price of bitcoin spiking to $47,000. He also sees approval of these products possibly occurring this year.
ABOUT
In a recent report, Alex Thorn, head of research at Galaxy, predicted that inflows to spot bitcoin ETFs would rise above $14 billion in the first year following the potential approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission of multiple applications the agency is considering. Thorn called the availability of this product significant because it will give financial advisors and wealth managers accessibility to digital assets in a way that will be acceptable to clients seeking exposure to crypto. He also believes approval of a spot BTC ETF could occur this year before the holidays and draws comparisons between bitcoin and gold as investment products.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights |
- Why Alex believes this is a significant moment for Bitcoin
- How, in Bitcoin, retail had access to this asset before institutions
- Why Alex expected the spot Bitcoin ETF approved this year
- What the capital inflows Galaxy expects to be in the first years and how they arrive at those numbers
- Whether the addressable market will increase significantly for Bitcoin
- What will be the average percentage of assets adding BTC exposure?
- Why Alex compares Bitcoin to gold, and what he learned after comparing both types of assets
- How much the price of Bitcoin will increase after the first year of the ETF approval, according to Galaxy's report
- How the several spot Bitcoin ETFs will be differentiated
Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com | Arbitrum Foundation | Popcorn Network
Guest |
Alex Thorn, head of firmwide research at Galaxy
Links |
Previous coverage of Unchained on spot Bitcoin ETFs:
Why a Spot Bitcoin ETF Will Probably Launch No Later Than January 10
Why It Looks Like BlackRock Could Win America’s First Spot Bitcoin ETF
The Chopping Block: Are We Back? The 'Low IQ' Response to the Potential Spot Bitcoin ETF
Unchained:
Bitcoin Soars Past $35,000 Amid Spot ETF Optimism
Bitcoin ETFs Explained: What Are They & How Do They Work?
CoinDesk:
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF in August Got on DTCC Site That Just Belatedly Moved Markets
12 spot bitcoin ETFs in consideration by the SEC
Galaxy:
Sizing the Market for a Bitcoin ETF
Alex’s thread drawing out highlights from the report
Alex’s thread on the potential for a “gamma squeeze”
CoinShares Digital Asset Funds Flow Weekly
Unchained Podcast is Produced by Laura Shin Media, LLC. Distributed by CoinDesk. Senior Producer is Michele Musso and Executive Producer is Jared Schwartz.
HOST
Laura Shin is a crypto journalist, host of the Unchained podcast, and author of “The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze” (Public Affairs, 2022). Formerly a senior editor at Forbes, she was the first mainstream journalist to cover crypto full-time, and her podcasts and videos have had more than 15 million downloads and views. Shin has spoken about cryptocurrency at places such as TEDx San Francisco, the International Monetary Fund, Singularity University and the Oslo Freedom Forum.
She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with Honors from Stanford University and has a master of arts from Columbia University’s School of Journalism. She lives in New York City.

EPISODES
The Blockspace Pod: What Epstein’s Bitcoin Investments Really Reveal w/ Kyle Torpey
Veteran bitcoin journalist Kyle Torpey joins the show to share his findings about Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement in bi...
18 hours ago
The Blockspace Pod: Quantum: The Next Battleground For Bitcoin
Is Bitcoin quantum ready or is it just more FUD? We dive into the technical and social battles between developers and...
Feb 7, 2026
The Blockspace Pod: Bitcoin Craters, French Gov't Challenge MARA Acquisition, Cipher's Note Sees $13B But Interest
Bitcoin nukes to $65k as the industry faces a historic selloff. We cover a massive 13% difficulty drop, France’s push...
Feb 6, 2026

The Mining Pod
Feb 10, 2025

CoinDesk Podcast Network
The top stories and best shows in the blockchain world, delivered daily from the team at CoinDesk.
Dec 20, 2023

Markets Outlook
Tune in as CoinDesk runs down action in the crypto market and some of the most important recent industry development.
Dec 19, 2023

Unchained
Unchained, your no hype resource for all things crypto by former Forbes senior editor Laura Shin, author of The Cryptopians.
Dec 18, 2023
