Bitcoin ETF Outflows Nearing Equilibrium, Says Grayscale Chief

The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) appears to be approaching a critical balance point after a period of significant outflows, according to Michael Sonnenshein, CEO of Grayscale Investments. In an exclusive interview with Reuters on the latest episode of Inside ETFs, Sonnenshein delved into the challenges and transformations faced by the GBTC.

Grayscale Investments has been at the forefront of the crypto asset management sector since 2013. The firm encountered heightened competition as the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) greenlit spot Bitcoin ETF products from nine other issuers on January 11, ending a prolonged standoff with the crypto industry. This regulatory milestone opened the gates for a variety of investment products, putting Grayscale’s dominance to the test.

Grayscale Bitcoin Outflows Coming To An End?

GBTC experienced over $15 billion in outflows in three months. Nonetheless, the appreciating value of Bitcoin has cushioned Grayscale’s assets under management (AUM), which have slightly dipped to $23.13 billion.

Addressing this, Sonnenshein remarked, “We do believe that the fund has started to reach a little bit of an equilibrium where some of those anticipated outflows, whether it was some of the bankruptcy selling, some investors perhaps undertaking switch trades, (are) largely behind us.”

A portion of the outflows Grayscale faced can be traced back to the aftermath of bankruptcy filings by several crypto firms in 2022 and 2023, which held GBTC shares on their balance sheets.

The conversion of our trust to an ETF was a significant transition that played into the hands of various stakeholders, including those looking to settle bankruptcy like FTX and Genesis claims. This has understandably led to a temporary surge in outflows, which is now showing signs of abating.

The Grayscale CEO also highlighted the shift in investor behavior, noting a trend of switch trades where investors sold off GBTC only to reinvest in other Bitcoin ETFs. This strategy is driven by the much lower fees of competitors like BlackRock, Fidelity and Bitwise, among others.

Despite the daily outflows remaining in negative territory, with Farside Investors noting a $303.3 million outflow on Monday and a $154.9 million outflow on Tuesday, the trend is evidently shifting from the peaks seen in March, where daily outflows were around $600 million.

Sonnenshein also expressed his optimism about Grayscale’s role and future in the ecosystem. “As we look ahead, again, it’s more about bringing more investors into the ecosystem (and) continuing to innovate on the product front,” he said.

In response to emerging competition from giants like BlackRock and Fidelity, which have launched their own Bitcoin ETFs with significantly lower fees and rapidly attracted substantial assets, Sonnenshein suggested that Grayscale might lower fees to remain competitive. “Over time, as markets mature, we anticipate that GBTC’s fees will come down,” Sonnenshein said.

According to the latest data from Arkham Intelligence, GBTC holds over 323,209K BTC, which is valued at approximately $22.29 billion. This marks a significant decrease from the over 618,000 BTC it started with at the beginning of the year, illustrating the scale and impact of the outflows the trust has experienced.

At press time, BTC traded at $68,840.