ING Germany Adds Bitwise ETPs and VanEck ETNs Despite Market Slump

Key Insights:

• ING Germany adds Bitwise ETPs and VanEck ETNs for major digital assets.
• Bitcoin ETP outflows surge as prices reach year-to-date lows.
• Extreme valuation metrics suggest a possible asymmetric rebound setup.

ING Germany is expanding access to digital asset investments via new partnerships with US asset managers Bitwise and VanEck. The move is coming at a rough beginning to 2026 for crypto markets, which have seen sharp drops in prices and heavy fund outflows. Together, these developments point to an increasing gap between short-term market pressure and long-term institutional positioning.

ING Germany Expands its Regulated Crypto Investment Offering

ING Germany, the German retail banking unit of financial services firm ING Group, said it will offer more crypto-linked investment products to clients. The expansion provides new exposure to exchange-traded products without the need for customers to possess the digital assets themselves. Instead, ING still relies on regulated, exchange-listed instruments.

The newly listed products are crypto exchange-traded products from Bitwise and crypto exchange-traded notes from VanEck. These additions join currently available crypto vehicles already available through ING, such as products from 21Shares, WisdomTree, and BlackRock’s iShares lineup.

The timing stands out. Crypto markets have not been doing well since the beginning of the year, but the decision of ING highlights the ongoing confidence in regulated access models. Rather than running away from volatility, traditional finance firms seem to be preparing infrastructure for longer-term involvement.

Bitwise ETPs Focus on Long-term Exposure During Volatility

Beginning in February, ING Germany clients will be able to trade Bitwise crypto ETPs with a minimum order size of 1,000 euros. According to Bitwise, there are no execution fees above that threshold, and smaller orders receive fixed commission fees. Savings plans associated with these products can also be carried out without any fees.

The Bitwise offerings are listed on Deutsche Börse’s Xetra platform and cover the entire range of the firm’s crypto ETPs. However, emphasis is still kept on three flagship products, namely, the Bitwise Core Bitcoin ETP, the Bitwise MSCI Digital Assets Select 20 ETP, and the Bitwise Physical Ethereum ETP.

Bitwise defined the partnership as a long-term commitment rather than a short-term trade. Even with falling prices, product launches continue. For asset managers, periods of stress can be the time when investors are seeking diversified, rules-based exposure as opposed to speculative gains.

VanEck ETNs Expand Exposure Across Blockchain Networks

Alongside the implementation of the Bitwise, ING Germany has also listed ten crypto ETNs from VanEck. These instruments monitor individual cryptocurrencies as well as basket strategies. Covered assets are Bitcoin, Ether, Algorand, Avalanche, Chainlink, Polkadot, Polygon, and Solana.

The difference between ETNs and ETPs is in their structure. While ETPs usually have underlying assets, ETNs are unsecured debt securities that are based on an index or reference price. Returns are based on the creditworthiness of the issuer, not the actual custody of the assets, so the risk profile for investors is different.

By offering both ETPs and ETNs, ING Germany is able to appeal to a broader range of investor preferences. Some are interested in asset-backed exposure, while others are interested in index-linked returns. The dual structure is indicative of growing sophistication amongst the crypto investors using traditional banking platforms.

Bitcoin Drawdown vs Institutional Positioning

The product expansion comes as the price of Bitcoin trades near year-to-date lows. On Monday, Bitcoin crashed to about $74,555, a drawdown of about 40% from the all-time high. The same period as the $1.3 billion in net outflows from global Bitcoin exchange-traded products last week.

According to CoinShares, global crypto ETPs lost $3.43 billion over the past two weeks, with year-to-date outflows totaling more than $1 billion. U.S.-listed Bitcoin ETFs caused most of the selling, led by massive withdrawals from large funds. This represents continued risk aversion on the part of short-term investors.

However, flows have started to stabilize. After the sell-off, Bitcoin ETFs received $562 million in net inflows on Monday, according to SoSoValue. At the same time, the fact that Bitcoin’s 2-year rolling Market-Value-to-Realized-Value z-score is the lowest on record, signaling extreme undervaluation, Bitwise pointed out.

The post ING Germany Adds Bitwise ETPs and VanEck ETNs Despite Market Slump appeared first on The Market Periodical.