Trump’s latest round of sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports sent shock tremors through risk assets, marking one of the most aggressive leverage washes in months. Crypto markets, true to form, were the first to react, and experienced a sudden sell-off over the weekend. What has followed since however is very telling.
By Monday morning, the market had stabilized, and more importantly, it had begun to recover. Bitcoin and Ethereum reclaimed ground, and altcoins like Solana and Ripple bounced meaningfully. Beneath the surface, indicators pointed to institutional buying the dip rather than panicking. Major Over-The-Counter (OTC) desks reported renewed flow, funding rates normalized, and the excessive leverage that was in the system has now been flushed out.
The quick recovery is clear evidence of how much more resilient and mature the market structure has become. Where once a cascade of liquidations could send the crypto market into free fall, we’re now seeing depth of liquidity and real demand on the other side. Though still highly volatile, crypto’s investability is no longer just purely speculative. With macro shocks likely to persist, particularly amidst the flurry of tariffs, the role of institutions as stabilizers is becoming harder to ignore.
The upcoming launch of US-listed Solana ETFs could mark a major turning point for institutions who are looking to expand beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum. Given the strong reception of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs in the US, Solana is widely expected to have significant inflows, at least by the end of the year. For institutions, these ETFs are a regulated, streamlined path into a fast-growing asset class without having to deal with the hurdles of actually holding the spot.
