In 2025, XRP at $1.86 and Solana at $124 were twice as volatile as Bitcoin at $87,872, showing that altcoins remain far from the relative stability of the largest cryptocurrency.
Over the past year, realized volatility hit 87% for Solana and 80% for XRP, compared with 43% for Bitcoin, according to CoinDesk Indices. Ether at $2,978 recorded 77%, while BNB at $856 saw 55% volatility.
Altcoins have long been more volatile than Bitcoin, but the gap is particularly significant for ETFs and other institutional investment vehicles tied to these tokens, which require deeper liquidity to achieve Bitcoin-like stability.
Among the top four cryptocurrencies by market cap—excluding stablecoins—only BNB lacks CME futures or U.S.-listed spot ETFs to support institutional participation. Since their November debut, XRP ETFs have attracted over $1 billion from investors, while Solana ETFs have gathered $764 million, according to SoSoValue.
If ETF demand continues, it could reduce price swings, as seen with Bitcoin. Bitcoin spot ETFs, launched in January 2024, have drawn $56.96 billion, while Ether ETFs, which began in July 2024, have accumulated $12.4 billion, both helping to stabilize prices.
