XRP and solana volatility in 2025 was twice as bumpy as bitcoin's

• Trading XRP and solana was twice as volatile as bitcoin in 2025.
• ETFs tied to altcoins need to pull in deeper liquidity to match bitcoin's chill.
• BTC's volatility has declined steadily through the year, mainly due to institutional demand for ETFs.

Trading XRP$1.8698 and solana SOL$125.75 felt twice as bumpy as bitcoin BTC$88,518.75 in 2025, dashing hopes of market maturation beyond the largest cryptocurrency.

Realized volatility over the past 365 days hit 87% for solana and 80% for XRP compared with BTC's calmer 43%, according to data tracked by CoinDesk Indices. BNB BNB$865.36 clocked 55% and ether ETH$2,973.33 77%.

Altcoins have tended to be more volatile than bitcoin over the years. Still, the latest data stands out because it shows that exchange-traded funds and other alternative investment vehicles tied to these tokens need to pull in deeper liquidity to match BTC's chill.

Except for BNB, the four largest coins by market value (excluding stablecoins) have CME futures and U.S.-listed spot ETFs as proxies for institutional activity.

XRP ETFs have pulled in over $1 billion in investor money since their debut in November, according to data source SoSoValue. The equally nascent SOL ETFs have amassed $763.91 million.

If the demand remains strong in the coming year, it could dampen price volatility, as observed in bitcoin.

Bitcoin spot ETFs, which debuted in January 2024, have attracted $56.96 billion in net inflows to date. This surge has fueled interest in advanced products such as covered calls on those ETFs, leading to a steady decline in volatility in BTC this year.

The same can be said about ether ETFs, which started trading the following July and have seen net inflows of $12.4 billion since their debut in mid-2024.

• KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
• This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
• Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
• Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
• Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.

• Approximately $250 million was withdrawn from Lighter after its $675 million LIT token airdrop.
• The withdrawals represent about 20% of Lighter's total value locked, according to Bubblemaps CEO Nicolas Vaiman.
• Large withdrawals post-token generation events are common as early participants exit, says CertiK's Natalie Newson.

Disclosure & Polices: CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of Bullish (NYSE:BLSH), an institutionally focused global digital asset platform that provides market infrastructure and information services. Bullish owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets and CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish equity-based compensation.