Wintermute: Institutions Double Down on BTC and ETH, Retail Investors Turn to Meme Coins

On July 15, according to TheBlock, Wintermute released its latest report stating that in the bull market of the first half of 2025, there was a significant difference in the investment strategies of retail investors and institutional investors, with a significant divergence in trading interest, after years of mostly synchronicity between the two.

The report shows that institutional investors continue to double down on major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, while retail investors tend to favor Meme coins and other altcoins. Institutions seek stable investment exposure, while retail investors chase newer, riskier opportunities. The gap between institutional and retail investors in the allocation of major cryptocurrencies hit a record 30 percentage points. Institutional mainstream cryptocurrency investment allocations remained at 67%, mainly through ETF inflows and other new accumulation tools, while retail investment allocations to mainstream cryptocurrencies fell 9% to 37%. Wintermute CEO and founder Evgeny Gaevoy said in the report: "This divergence is not temporary, it indicates that we are experiencing a more mature, complex and professional crypto market. Investors are no longer chasing the same trends. Institutions see cryptocurrencies as macro assets, while retail traders continue to be attracted to innovation." [BlockBeats]