Bitcoin is holding above US$77,000 after one of its strongest weekly rallies in years, with a sharp return of institutional buying, improving liquidity conditions and more favourable US regulatory signals combining to revive the broader cryptocurrency market.
The world’s largest cryptocurrency was trading around US$77,180 early on Monday, easing about 0.6% after reaching almost US$79,500 on Friday. Bitcoin has nevertheless retained most of the gains from a rally that lifted it from around US$64,000 at the beginning of last week.
Ether was changing hands near US$2,435, down around 1% over 24 hours, while Solana was around US$94.10, also about 1% lower.
The modest pullback follows a dramatic week in which bitcoin and ether both gained roughly 24% to 28%, with bitcoin briefly breaking US$79,000 and triggering a broad rally across digital assets.
ETF money comes flooding back
Institutional demand was one of the clearest signals behind the move.
US spot bitcoin and ether exchange-traded funds attracted a combined US$2.6 billion in net inflows last week, their strongest combined week since October 2025.
Bitcoin ETFs accounted for US$1.9 billion, their largest weekly inflow of 2026, while ether products attracted US$697.2 million.
Trading activity also accelerated sharply. Bitcoin ETF volumes jumped to US$22.1 billion from US$6.9 billion the previous week, while ether ETF volumes rose to US$6.9 billion from US$1.9 billion.
The reversal is significant after months in which weaker institutional flows contributed to pressure on cryptocurrency prices.
Liquidity sparks bitcoin rebound
The initial catalyst for the rally came from the US Treasury, which announced plans to increase purchases of longer-dated government debt in an effort to ease pressure in the Treasury market.
The move helped push long-term yields lower and improved liquidity expectations, providing support for risk assets.
Bitcoin has historically responded strongly to increases in market liquidity, and the cryptocurrency quickly broke through US$69,000 before accelerating above US$75,000 and eventually testing US$80,000.
Regulatory developments added further momentum, with the US Securities and Exchange Commission proposing new exemptions designed to provide clearer pathways for certain crypto-related capital raisings.
Altcoins join the rally
Unlike several previous bitcoin rebounds, last week’s move spread rapidly into the wider cryptocurrency market.
XRP had gained almost 40% across the week by Friday, while Hyperliquid, Zcash and Chainlink were each up more than 30%.
Zcash extended those gains over the weekend, briefly reaching around US$855, its highest level since 2018, as investors responded to Grayscale’s latest attempt to convert its Zcash Trust into a US-listed spot ETF.
ZEC futures trading volume reached about US$9.5 billion over 24 hours, highlighting the scale of speculative interest surrounding the move.
Solana also recorded a technical milestone, cutting its mainnet target slot time from 400 milliseconds to 350 milliseconds, a step towards its longer-term target of 200 milliseconds and faster transaction confirmations.
What to watch
Attention now turns to whether bitcoin can consolidate above the US$75,000 region following such a rapid advance.
The renewed ETF inflows provide evidence that institutional demand has returned, but the scale of last week’s rally also leaves the market vulnerable to profit-taking after bitcoin gained more than 20% in a matter of days.
The next test will be whether ETF buying remains strong once the immediate momentum fades, while traders will also be watching US inflation, Treasury yields and developments in Washington for indications that the liquidity and regulatory environment supporting the latest rebound can be sustained.