Wintermute: In the 2025 bull market, institutions will increase their holdings of BTC and ETH, and retail investors will turn to Meme coins

Odaily News Wintermute released a report saying that during the bull market in the first half of 2025, institutional investors and retail investors had significant differences in investment strategies. Institutions doubled down on mainstream currencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), maintaining a 67% allocation to mainstream currencies through ETF inflows and derivatives tools, while retail investors preferred riskier meme coins and altcoins, with mainstream currency allocations falling to 37%. Institutions use a large number of derivatives for hedging and yield management, and over-the-counter options trading volume soared 412% from the same period last year. Meme coins such as BONK, WIF, and POPCAT became popular, but the proportion of old-fashioned coins DOGE and SHIB declined. Wintermute pointed out that in the second half of the year, attention should be paid to the potential impact of the US Securities and Exchange Commission on the approval of the spot Dogecoin ETF, and several institutions have submitted relevant applications.
Wintermute CEO Evgeny Gaevoy said that this divergence reflects the maturity and professionalization of the crypto market, with institutions viewing crypto as macro assets and retail investors pursuing innovative opportunities. (The Block)