Crypto: Bitcoin investor demand falls by 73% as futures selling tops $2B: Are the bears back? Retail

Crypto: Bitcoin investor demand falls by 73% as futures selling tops $2B: Are the bears back? Retail

Bitcoin retail inflows to Binance remained at record lows as aggressive BTC futures selling and weakening spot demand pressured BTC below $77,000. Bitcoin (BTC) retail investor activity on Binance has fallen to its lowest level in history. Retail BTC inflows on Binance now average near 314 BTC per month in 2026, down sharply from the 1,200 BTC range recorded in March 2024. Bitcoin’s recovery in May also slowed as spot inflows on Binance weakened, with the 30-day net demand growth falling 73% over the past three weeks. CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost said retail Bitcoin inflows to Binance remained near its historic lows. The metric tracks BTC deposits from wallets holding less than 1 BTC, a common signal for retail investor activity. Bitcoin retail inflows (less than 1 BTC) on Binance. CryptoQuant Monthly retail BTC inflows on Binance now average just 314 BTC. The figure stood near 1,800 BTC during the 2022 bear market and around 1,200 BTC during Bitcoin’s March 2024 local top near $75,000. Earlier cycles showed far heavier retail participation, with inflows peaking near 5,400 BTC in 2018 and 2,600 BTC in 2021. Darkfost said part of the shift likely stemmed from investors moving toward spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) rather than directly holding BTC on exchanges. CryptoQuant data also showed a cooldown in retail demand growth. The 30-day change in retail investor demand dropped to 3.12% from 7.39% last week. That earlier reading marked the strongest retail demand expansion since August 2025, when Bitcoin traded near $115,000. The decline points to weaker spot participation after a brief pickup in buying activity.

Source: CoinTelegraph