Institutional Investors Dominate Crypto OTC Trading in H1 2026

Institutional investors continue to dominate the crypto market, accounting for a record 72% of spot over-the-counter (OTC) trading in the first half of 2026. According to Wintermute Research, this growing institutional presence is concentrated in key cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, which have shown strong performance with Ethereum rallying 22%. The report also highlights a nearly 50% increase in tokenized real-world assets, reaching $31 billion, driven by institutional adoption of tokenized U.S. Treasuries, money market funds, and private credit.

The growing influence of institutional investors has become a lasting feature of the market structure, with retail investors expected to return in the next crypto bull market. However, the current trend suggests that institutional influence will remain a significant factor in the market's direction.

Bitcoin has been particularly affected by this trend, briefly surging past $65,000 following the Federal Reserve's decision to keep interest rates steady. This pushed its market capitalization to over $1.3 trillion, marking a 10% gain.