he crypto market may not always move in straight lines, but 2025 delivered a clear message: digital assets are becoming deeply embedded in the global financial system.
From massive institutional inflows into crypto investment products to governments openly backing blockchain integration and exchanges blending crypto with traditional markets, the lines between “crypto” and “TradFi” are fading faster than ever.
Crypto Investment Products Near Record Inflows in 2025
Global crypto exchange-traded products pulled in an impressive US$47.2 billion in net inflows during 2025, according to CoinShares. While that figure narrowly missed the record set in 2024, it still highlights sustained institutional interest in digital assets — even during periods of market hesitation.
Bitcoin-focused products led the pack with US$26.9 billion in inflows, though demand cooled compared to the previous year. Price weakness weighed on sentiment, and some investors even began allocating capital to short-Bitcoin products, signaling a more cautious tone.
That slowdown didn’t dampen the broader market. Capital rotated aggressively into select altcoins, with Ethereum products attracting US$12.7 billion, marking one of their strongest years on record. XRP and Solana funds weren’t far behind, each posting multibillion-dollar inflows and triple-digit growth rates year over year — a clear sign that investors are diversifying beyond Bitcoin.
Japan Pushes Crypto Deeper Into Traditional Markets
While capital flows tell one part of the story, policy signals tell another — and Japan just sent a strong one.
Speaking at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Japan’s finance minister Satsuki Katayama outlined the government’s vision for deeper integration of digital assets across traditional stock and commodities markets. She highlighted the role of exchanges in expanding access to blockchain-based investments and referenced the U.S. experience with crypto-linked ETFs as a model worth studying.
Although Japan does not yet offer domestically listed crypto ETFs, momentum is building. Katayama labeled 2026 as a “digital year,” promising policy support for advanced trading technologies and modern market infrastructure. Her remarks follow ongoing regulatory discussions around allowing banks to hold crypto assets and the recent approval of Japan’s first yen-pegged stablecoin.
Together, these developments suggest Japan is positioning itself to be a major bridge between traditional finance and digital assets.
Bitget Accelerates the Crypto–TradFi Convergence
Perhaps the clearest example of this convergence comes from exchanges themselves.
Bitget recently announced that trading volume for its tokenized stocks surpassed US$1 billion, with an eye-catching 95% of that volume occurring in December alone. According to CEO Gracy Chen, the surge was largely driven by record highs in gold and silver, which fueled intense demand for tokenized precious-metal ETFs.
Building on that momentum, Bitget has now officially launched its TradFi trading suite to the public after a successful private beta involving more than 80,000 users. Traders now have access to 79 instruments, including forex, metals, indices, and commodities — all traded as contracts for difference and settled entirely in USDT.
During testing, XAU/USD alone recorded over US$100 million in single-day volume, one of the highest daily figures seen during the beta phase.
“Traders want flexibility,” Chen explained. “They want to move seamlessly between crypto and traditional markets as conditions change — without friction.”
The Bigger Picture
What ties these developments together is a broader shift in how markets are evolving. Crypto exchanges are no longer just places to speculate on tokens. Governments are no longer treating digital assets as fringe experiments. And investors are no longer limiting themselves to a single asset class.
Instead, crypto is becoming part of a unified global trading ecosystem — one where stocks, commodities, currencies, and digital assets coexist on the same platforms, driven by the same macro forces.
As 2026 approaches, the question is no longer whether crypto will integrate with traditional finance — but how fast that integration will accelerate.