Institutional Bitcoin Demand Surges as U.S. Custody Wallets Accumulate $53B

• According to Ki Young Ju, large U.S. Custody wallets and ETF holdings added $53 billion in BTC over the last year.
• The large custody wallets, typically holding 100–1,000 BTC each, provide a clear view of ongoing institutional participation.

Earlier today, Crypto Quant founder Ki Young Ju highlighted that institutional demand for Bitcoin remains strong. He pointed out that large U.S. custody wallets have accumulated around $53 billion worth of Bitcoin over the last year.

Institutional demand for Bitcoin remains strong.

US custody wallets typically hold 100-1,000 BTC each. Excluding exchanges and miners, this gives a rough read on institutional demand. ETF holdings included.

577K BTC ($53B) added over the past year, and still flowing in. pic.twitter.com/kG1c8dTvlq

— Ki Young Ju (@ki_young_ju) January 19, 2026

​According to his post, when exchanges and miners are eliminated, these huge custodian wallets, which typically contain 100 to 1,000 BTC each, provide a more accurate estimate of institutional activity. This includes holdings related to Bitcoin Exchange-traded funds, indicating that institutional investors in the United States are still actively involved with Bitcoin.

​Ki Young Ju additionally added that during the last year, around 577,000 BTC, worth over $53 billion, have poured into these wallets. It suggests that capital inflows from institutions are not only huge but also ongoing, with no signs of reducing, indicating a continued confidence in Bitcoin.

ETFs Drive Institutional Bitcoin Adoption

With that said, the U.S.-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs have a major role in institutional accumulation, which got approved in 2024, marking a turning point for institutions. As per SoSoValue, the total value since January 2026 began, it stands at $1.2 billion as an aggregate inflow, showing continued institutional and investor confidence.

​Thus, the sentiment was strengthened by the comment from Political Economist Crypto Seth, who notes that institutional participation in Bitcoin and Ethereum is still in its early stages, with large players only beginning to allocate capital, and the long-term impact by 2030–2040 could be far bigger than what most people can currently anticipate.​While institutional demand for Bitcoin remains high, retail traders are being cautious. The overall market attitude has turned toward fear, with the sentiment tracker reading 32, while weekly sentiment is down at 26. With that, as per CoinMarketCap, Bitcoin’s price has dropped roughly 2.5% as a result of this cautious mentality, and it is currently trading at $90,677 as of writing.

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