Two Prime's Shift from Ethereum to Bitcoin Amid Growing Institutional Concerns and Developer Activity Shifts

The recent decision by Two Prime to exit Ethereum marks a significant shift in the institutional landscape of cryptocurrency investments, raising eyebrows across the market.

• Two Prime left Ethereum, citing memecoin-like behavior and unpredictable risk profile.

• Cardano surpassed Ethereum in terms of developer activity, challenging traditional market narratives.

Ethereum [ETH] is facing a lot of institutional backlash, with SEC-registered investment advisor Two Prime announcing a complete exit from the asset.

Citing Ethereum’s “memecoin-like” behavior, lagging price performance, and deteriorating value proposition, the firm has decided to shift its full focus to Bitcoin [BTC].

Why did Two Prime give up on Ethereum?

After years of active participation in ETH markets and securing its place as one of the largest global lenders for BTC and ETH-backed loans, Two Prime has concluded that Ethereum no longer offers a viable risk-reward profile for serious asset management.

The firm now plans to exclusively double down on Bitcoin, initiating a strategic post-mortem on its ETH experience.

Remarking on the same, its press release claimed,

“ETH’s statistical trading behaviour, value proposition, and community culture have failed beyond a point that is worth engaging. The risk-reward is simply unjustifiable at this point with BTC available as an alternative.”

Why did Two Prime choose Bitcoin only?

Two Prime elaborated that Ethereum’s core trading behavior has shifted dramatically, making it increasingly difficult to manage from a risk perspective. According to the firm, ETH has decoupled from Bitcoin and now exhibits extreme tail risk, mirroring the erratic volatility typical of memecoins.

While Bitcoin maintained a relatively stable behavior during Q1 2025’s market turbulence, Ethereum saw several multi-standard deviation swings, signaling structural instability.

Additionally, ETF demand tells a stark story – Bitcoin ETF inflows have eclipsed Ethereum’s by nearly 24 times, with BTC supply held in ETFs more than doubling that of ETH, despite Ethereum’s comparable market cap.

The firm further quoted,

“From my perspective, ETH became a victim of its early success, growing into a bureaucratic and ideological organization rather than one focused on building a tech product.”

It added,

“Bitcoin stands alone in its use case. It has no competitor in digital assets. It aims to be one thing, and it does it well. Institutions flock to economies and assets that are consistent and predictable.”

Cardano also flips Ethereum

That’s not all though as recent findings also revealed that Cardano has now surpassed Ethereum in core developer activity.

Here, it’s worth noting that although Two Prime’s ETH exit triggered a modest price dip, the broader market sentiment remains buoyant.

For its part, Bitcoin has sustained its dominance with steady gains despite all the market volatility. Ethereum was trading at $1,819.39 at press time.

Conclusion

This pivotal move by Two Prime underlines a shifting perception of Ethereum among institutional investors. As concerns over its volatility and market behavior grow, Bitcoin’s established role as a stable asset continues to attract interest. Future developments in both platforms will be critical in shaping the cryptocurrency landscape.

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