The 2025 Cryptocurrency Investment Landscape Reversal: Bitcoin Declines, Mainstream Coins Rise

Source: TokenPost Original Title: Bitcoin Marginalized, Altcoins Surge… The Cryptocurrency Investment Landscape Changed by 2025 Original Link:

2025 Cryptocurrency Investment Landscape: Bitcoin Declines, Mainstream Coins Rise

The global cryptocurrency investment market in 2025 closed at a total of $47.2 billion (approximately 6.83 trillion KRW), showing a strong recovery trend. However, during this upward cycle, Bitcoin’s dominance waned, with mainstream coins like Ethereum(ETH), Solana(SOL), and XRP taking the market lead.

Ethereum, XRP, and Solana Lead the Rise

According to CoinShares’ annual “Digital Asset Fund Flows Report,” Bitcoin(BTC) investment products attracted a total of $26.9 billion (about 3.89 trillion KRW) in 2025, a 35% decrease quarter-over-quarter. Falling prices dampened investor sentiment, and accordingly, “short Bitcoin” products betting on declines attracted $105 million (about 1,517 billion KRW), but this accounted for a very small portion of total assets.

In contrast, Ethereum grew by 138% quarter-over-quarter, attracting $12.7 billion (about 1.84 trillion KRW); XRP surged by 500%, reaching $3.7 billion (about 534.9 billion KRW); and Solana skyrocketed by 1,000%, reaching $3.6 billion (about 520.5 billion KRW). These three major mainstream coins successfully captured market attention, pushing Bitcoin out of the investor spotlight.

Small and Medium Coins Underperform, Multi-Asset Strategies Fail

Small and medium coins performed relatively weakly. Sui attracted $152 million (about 219.9 billion KRW), Chainlink $22 million (about 31.8 billion KRW), Zcash $17 million (about 24.6 billion KRW), while Litecoin saw only $1 million (about 1.4 billion KRW) in annual inflows. Overall, investments in other coins declined by 31.8%, totaling $318 million (about 460.1 billion KRW).

Investment strategies also shifted. “Multi-asset products” diversified across various cryptocurrencies experienced a net outflow of $214 million (about 309.7 billion KRW), indicating that concentrated investments in leading assets became the mainstream trend.

Regional Flows Reshape: The US Remains Dominant, Europe Emerges

Regionally, the US still absorbed most of the funds with inflows of $42.5 billion (about 6.14 trillion KRW), a 12% decrease quarter-over-quarter. Germany rebounded, shifting from a net outflow of $43 million (about 6.2 billion KRW) in 2024 to a net inflow of $2.5 billion (about 361.5 billion KRW).

Canada also reversed its trend, shifting from a net outflow of $603 million (about 871.8 billion KRW) in 2024 to a net inflow of $1.1 billion (about 1.59 trillion KRW) in 2025. Switzerland saw an 11.5% increase, reaching $775 million (about 1.12 trillion KRW). In Asia, Hong Kong attracted $293 million (about 423.8 billion KRW), showing significant growth; the Netherlands and France recorded $194 million (about 280.5 billion KRW) and $128 million (about 185.2 billion KRW), respectively. Sweden shifted from surplus to deficit, and Brazil experienced a net outflow of $1 million (about 1.4 billion KRW).

Expert Opinion: Bitcoin Enters a “Healthy Recovery”

Analysis indicates that as speculative leverage gradually diminishes, Bitcoin may experience a more “healthy market” in 2026. Analyst Marcus Theilen pointed out that since October 2025, leverage positions in Bitcoin and Ethereum futures markets totaling about $30 billion (approximately 43.38 trillion KRW) have been closed, alleviating overheating conditions. Investors are thus starting the new year with lighter portfolios, meaning prices are more reflective of actual demand rather than forced liquidations.

Overall, 2025 marked a crucial turning point for the cryptocurrency market, characterized by poor Bitcoin performance, the rise of mainstream coins, and reshaping regional investment patterns. Ethereum, Solana, and XRP have become new focal points for investors.