Bitcoin ETFs Pull In $56B as Bitmine CEO Says Crypto Beats Gold as an Inflation Hedge

Institutional capital is moving into Bitcoin at a pace that would have sounded implausible a few years ago. Since the rollout of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds, about $56 billion has flowed in from asset managers globally, a shift Bitmine CEO Tom Lee says is reshaping how professional investors think about preserving purchasing power. At the Futu Investment Exhibition, Lee challenged gold's long-standing status as the default inflation hedge. Citing historical data, he said gold has failed to keep up with inflation roughly 48% of the time over the past 55 years. He also pointed to recent weakness in the metal, with gold down more than 15% over the past week and trading around $4,493. Lee argued Bitcoin has been the stronger inflation hedge, saying it has outpaced inflation 97% of the time since its 2009 debut. He attributed that performance to Bitcoin's fixed supply cap of 21 million coins, noting that supply cannot be expanded and no central bank can create more. With institutional demand rising, Lee said Bitcoin is increasingly positioned as a modern alternative to gold for wealth protection. "Many investors hold large amounts of gold for protection, but may be missing exposure to Bitcoin," he said. ETF inflows are reinforcing that narrative. As major asset managers add Bitcoin exposure to client portfolios, billions of dollars have shifted into Bitcoin-focused funds, pushing the asset closer to mainstream comparisons with commodities such as gold and oil. Bitcoin traded near $66,000 at the time of Lee's comments, down about 3.35% over the prior 24 hours. Lee also highlighted Ethereum, describing it as a potential infrastructure layer for Wall Street, with use cases spanning tokenization, settlement, and other financial operations. He said ties between crypto networks and traditional finance appear to be deepening as institutions look for faster, programmable ways to move and settle assets. Whether that vision materializes remains uncertain, but the scale of capital moving into Bitcoin ETFs suggests parts of Wall Street are no longer treating crypto as a peripheral asset class.