Crypto Funds’ Assets Reach Record High as Investors Hedge and Diversify

Assets in crypto funds surged to an all-time high in May amid easing trade tensions and growing investor appetite for digital currencies as tools to hedge market volatility and diversify away from U.S. assets.

Data from Morningstar covering 294 crypto funds shows net inflows of $7.05 billion last month—the highest since December—pushing total assets under management to a record $167 billion.

Nicolas Lin, CEO of fintech firm Aether Holdings, noted that bitcoin is “starting to come into its own again,” transitioning from merely a high-volatility asset to one increasingly used for hedging exposure. Over the past three months, bitcoin has risen more than 15%, outperforming the MSCI World Index’s 3.6% gain and gold’s 13.3% increase.

Analyst Nic Puckrin of Coin Bureau cited a loss of faith in the U.S. investment outlook as a key driver behind bitcoin’s rise. With the dollar projected to weaken, bond yields rising, and equity markets uncertain, bitcoin has maintained strength. Institutional inflows have further supported bitcoin, especially after U.S. approvals of spot bitcoin and ether ETFs.

Contrasting crypto funds, Lipper data showed $5.9 billion flowed out of global equity funds in May, and gold funds experienced their first outflow in 15 months, at $678 million—highlighting a broader shift toward portfolio diversification.

Lin anticipates that crypto inflows will remain strong but steadier than the initial rush following ETF launches. “What’s happening now is more important — it’s the start of crypto becoming a permanent fixture in diversified portfolios,” he said.

Supporting this trend, Coinshares data reports bitcoin funds attracted a net $5.5 billion and ether funds $890 million in May.