Ether Looks Like Memecoin, ETH Down 45%
- Two Prime, an American investment advisory firm, is shifting its strategy to focus exclusively on Bitcoin (BTC), abandoning support for ether (ETH) after observing its performance in the...
- The decision comes after Two Prime facilitated $1.5 billion in loans using both Bitcoin and Ether over the past 15 months.
- “The behavior of ETH's statistical trade, the proposal of value and the culture of the community have failed beyond a point where it is indeed worth committing," Two...
Two Prime Ditches Ether, Focuses Solely on Bitcoin Amid Price Slump
Two Prime, an American investment advisory firm, is shifting its strategy to focus exclusively on Bitcoin (BTC), abandoning support for ether (ETH) after observing its performance in the first quarter of 2025. The firm announced the change May 1.
The decision comes after Two Prime facilitated $1.5 billion in loans using both Bitcoin and Ether over the past 15 months. Citing concerns over Ether’s trading behavior and community culture, the firm will now concentrate on asset management and loans denominated solely in BTC.
“The behavior of ETH’s statistical trade, the proposal of value and the culture of the community have failed beyond a point where it is indeed worth committing,” Two Prime stated in its proclamation.
This shift to a Bitcoin-exclusive approach coincides with a meaningful drop in Ether’s value,with the cryptocurrency losing approximately 45% of its value year-to-date. Despite this downturn, some analysts remain optimistic about a potential rebound for ETH.
Firm Claims Ether’s Price Action Unpredictable
Two Prime emphasized its data-driven approach, stating, “As an algorithmic trade firm, we value the data more than the narratives. The data suggests that ETH has changed fundamentally.”
The firm argues that Ether has become increasingly unpredictable, stating:
Now quotes like a memecoin rather of as a predictable asset. Even during the turbulence of the first quarter of 2025, Bitcoin remained within his essential behavior, while Eth saw several multi -state deviation movements.
Two Prime contends that this unpredictability poses challenges for both algorithmic trading and Ether-backed loans, as the asset no longer behaves predictably, even within the typically volatile digital asset markets.
Founded in 2019 by Alexander Blum and Marc Fleury, Two Prime is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm has offered trading and loan services for both BTC and ETH for the past six years.
community Reacts: Contrarian Indicator?
Two Prime’s critical assessment of Ether has sparked debate within the cryptocurrency community, with some viewing the move as a potential contrarian indicator.
One market observer on X (formerly Twitter) noted the S&P 500’s volatility, which fell 4.7% year-to-date, questioning the importance of Two prime’s statement.
Another commentator expressed skepticism, stating, “I haven’t even heard of them. It truly seems irrelevant,” questioning the weight the community should give to Two Prime’s changing stance on Ether.
Others speculated that Two Prime’s decision could signal a bottom for Ether, anticipating a price rebound after the recent decline.
Ether ETF Performance Lags Behind Bitcoin
Two Prime also pointed to the relatively weak performance of Ether Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), noting that Bitcoin purchases have significantly outpaced those of Ether, by a factor of nearly 24.
“The ETF of Eth creates a reflective loop by which institutions such as Blackrock dedicate less resources to their promotion and sale. BTC has found the main current while ETH has staggered,” the firm stated.
Despite the slower growth of Ether ETFs, Ether remains the largest altcoin in terms of assets under management (AUM) within cryptocurrency ETFs, surpassing Solana (SOL) and XRP.
According to CoinShares data, Ether-based exchange-traded products held $9.2 billion in AUM as of last week, while Solana and XRP followed with $1.4 billion and $1 billion, respectively.
Following SEC approval in May 2024, Ether ETFs experienced a slower start compared to the strong debut of spot Bitcoin ETFs.
Due to limited investor demand,some issuers,such as vaneck,ceased marketing Ether futures etfs,while WisdomTree withdrew its proposal for an Ethereum Trust ETF in September 2024. In March 2025, Ark liquidated its futures ETFs for both Ether and Bitcoin.
Two Prime’s Bitcoin-Only Shift: What You Need to Know
This article explores Two Prime’s strategic pivot from Ether (ETH) to Bitcoin (BTC) and analyzes the implications of this decision.
Q: What’s the big news?
A: Two Prime, an American investment advisory firm, announced on May 1st that it is indeed abandoning its support for ether (ETH) and focusing exclusively on Bitcoin (BTC). This decision follows observations of ETH’s performance in the first quarter of 2025.
Q: Why is Two Prime making this change?
A: The firm cites concerns about ether’s trading behavior and community culture as the primary reasons. Two Prime previously facilitated $1.5 billion in loans using both Bitcoin and ether over the past 15 months but is now concentrating on asset management and loans solely in BTC.
Q: What are the firm’s specific criticisms of Ether?
A: Two Prime believes that Ether’s price action has become unpredictable, making it challenging for algorithmic trading. They stated, “The behavior of ETH’s statistical trade, the proposal of value and the culture of the community have failed beyond a point where it is indeed worth committing.” The firm emphasizes a data-driven approach, asserting that ETH’s behavior has fundamentally changed.
Q: How has Ether’s price performed recently?
A: The shift to a Bitcoin-focused approach coincides wiht a significant drop in Ether’s value. The cryptocurrency has lost approximately 45% of its value year-to-date. The firm also states that ETH now quotes like a “memecoin” rather than a predictable asset.
Q: What is Two Prime’s background?
A: Founded in 2019 by Alexander Blum and Marc Fleury, Two Prime is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm has offered trading and loan services for both BTC and ETH for the past six years.
Q: How has the community reacted to Two Prime’s decision?
A: The cryptocurrency community has reacted with mixed opinions. Some see the move as a potential contrarian indicator, while others question the importance of Two Prime’s assessment. Some commentators are skeptical, while others speculate the decision could signal a bottom for Ether, anticipating a price rebound after the recent decline.
Q: What are the implications of the slow growth for Ether ETFs?
A: The firm’s decision was partly influenced by the relatively weak performance of ether Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) versus Bitcoin ETFs. Purchases of Bitcoin have substantially outpaced those of Ether, by a factor of nearly 24.
Q: Are Ether ETFs still relevant?
A: Despite slower growth, Ether remains the largest altcoin in terms of assets under management (AUM) within cryptocurrency ETFs, surpassing Solana (SOL) and XRP.
Q: How do Ether ETFs compare to Bitcoin ETFs in terms of performance?
A: Following SEC approval in May 2024, Ether ETFs experienced a slower start compared to the strong debut of spot Bitcoin ETFs. The firm stated, “The ETF of Eth creates a reflective loop by which institutions such as Blackrock dedicate less resources to their promotion and sale. BTC has found the main current while ETH has staggered.”
Q: What are the AUM figures for different cryptocurrency ETFs?
A: According to CoinShares data, Ether-based exchange-traded products held $9.2 billion in AUM as of last week, while Solana and XRP followed with $1.4 billion and $1 billion, respectively.
Q: What happened with Ether futures ETFs?
A: due to limited investor demand, some issuers, such as VanEck, ceased marketing Ether futures ETFs, while WisdomTree withdrew its proposal for an Ethereum Trust ETF in September 2024. Ark liquidated its futures ETFs for both Ether and Bitcoin in March 2025.
Q: Can you summarize these Ether ETF Flow for investors?
A: Ether ETFs: While still the largest, Ether ETFs have experienced slower growth compared to Bitcoin ETFs.
Issuer Actions: Some issuers have stopped marketing ether futures ETFs due to low investor interest.
Cryptocurrency ETP flows per active (in millions of US dollars). Source: CoinShares
