Whale alert: Someone dumped $1.29 billion of BlackRock's bitcoin ETF in a dark pool trade

Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Whale alert: Someone dumped $1.29 billion of BlackRock's bitcoin ETF in a dark pool trade The big sale happened amid a broader continued exodus from U.S.-listed spot bitcoin ETFs. By Omkar Godbole | Edited by Sheldon Reback May 27, 2026, 8:40 a.m. 2 min read Make preferred on Someone sold a huge amount of IBIT on Tuesday in a single trade. (foco44/Pixabay) What to know : An unknown investor executed a single $1.29 billion block sale of BlackRock’s IBIT bitcoin ETF in a dark pool on Tuesday, in what one analyst called the largest trade of its kind he has seen. The sale came amid a broader exodus from U.S.-listed spot bitcoin ETFs, which saw a combined $333 million in outflows Tuesday and $2.26 billion withdrawn over the past two weeks. As investors pulled millions of dollars out of U.S.-listed spot crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on Tuesday, one move stood out. A single investor dumped over a billion dollars-worth of shares in BlackRock’s bitcoin BTC $ 75,724.24 ETF, which trades under the ticker IBIT, in one dark-pool trade. A dark-pool trade is a privately negotiated transaction, allowing the largest market participants to buy and sell large amounts of stock without tipping off the public or instantly crushing the spot price. The massive sale was just one on a day that saw total net outflows from the 11 spot ETFs increase to $334 million. The ETFs have suffered net outflows for seven straight days, the second-longest run since their inception in January 2024, losing $1.88 billon. The longest consecutive outflow streak is eight trading days, occurring twice — in late August-early September 2024, totalling $1.2 billion and again in February 2025, totalling $3.3 billion. Alex Thorn, head of research at Galaxy, flagged the transaction on X, calling it the biggest of its kind he has ever seen. Thorn noted that the $1.289 billion trade took place at 10:30 a.m. ET. When a single entity dumps over $1 billion in one shot, it’s usually seen as a cautionary signal. The entity is wary of potential risk ahead and is scaling back exposure. Alex Thorn's post. (X) The transaction, however, doesn't necessarily signify a withdrawal from the fund. While one entity made a high-conviction move to exit, buyers may well have stepped in to soak up the volume. The net outflow is the final tally for the day after all the buying and selling across the entire market. IBIT had to process net redemptions worth $192.44 million, according to data source SoSoValue. This suggests that overall momentum was controlled by investors heading for the exit. The trend is getting harder for the bulls to ignore. Investors have now yanked a total of $2.26 billion from the ETFs over the past two weeks. If these massive exits continue, the price of bitcoin may continue to lose ground. The largest cryptocurrency has already pulled back to under $77,000 from highs above $82,000 on May 6, CoinDesk data show. Bitcoin News BlackRock ETFs More For You Bitcoin vs gold: BTC's three-month uptrend has snapped By Omkar Godbole 2 hours ago BTC's three-month uptrend against gold has broken down amid strong inflows into gold and precious metals ETFs. What to know : Bitcoin’s three-month uptrend versus gold has broken down. ETF flows point to a renewed bias for hard assets, with over $2 billion exiting BTC funds while gold and precious metal ETFs attract fresh inflows. The shift signals weakening momentum for bitcoin as a “store of value,” with gold poised to... Read full story Latest Crypto News Crypto PACs spend $9 million in Texas and score wins in both parties 2 hours ago Bitcoin vs gold: BTC's three-month uptrend has snapped 2 hours ago XRP steadies near $1.32 as failed breakout keeps focus on narrowing trading range 3 hours ago Traders watch bitcoin 'golden cross' as BTC slides to near $75,000, ZEC dives 9% 4 hours ago Trump praises prediction markets, defends CFTC as court cases compound 10 hours ago Joe Lubin-backed Ethereum treasury firm SharpLink to join the Russel indexes 13 hours ago Top Stories Coinbase’s Base launches AI tool for ChatGPT to manage crypto wallets and DeFi apps 16 hours ago XRPL could close its biggest DeFi gap if new AMM amendment passes 17 hours ago Strategy taps cash reserve to retire $1.5 billion in convertible debt 20 hours ago Bitmine made its largest ETH purchase this year despite Tom Lee's slowdown suggestion 19 hours ago Ondo Finance founder Nathan Allman dies unexpectedly May 26, 2026 Bitcoin demand gauge sinks to worst level since December as spot buying weakens 20 hours ago In this article BTC BTC $ 75,724.24 ◢ 1.23 %