Institutional Bitcoin Accumulation Surges on Coinbase as BTC Taps 10-Day High

Bitcoin is seeing institutional accumulation amidst fresh gains of over 3% on Friday as its price tapped $102,000.In fact, CryptoQuant has observed a significant Bitcoin inflow to Coinbase Prime, pointing to increased over-the-counter (OTC) trading activity. This trend suggests heightened interest from US institutions, which prefer OTC trades as a method for large-scale Bitcoin accumulation to minimize market disruption.Bitcoin Inflows to Coinbase PrimeThe alert threshold, set at an inflow value exceeding $8 billion, has been surpassed, with the current value standing at over $14 billion. This significant inflow evidences a strong institutional interest, with OTC trading playing a crucial role in facilitating these transactions.OTC trading involves direct, off-exchange transactions between buyers and sellers, typically facilitated by brokers or trading desks. This method allows institutions and high-net-worth individuals to execute large trades with minimal impact on the market.According to Finery Markets’ 2024 Review, the cryptocurrency OTC market saw remarkable growth, with an annual rate of 106% last year. The report stated that 2024 was a transformative year for institutional and large-scale digital asset trading, spurred by macroeconomic trends and industry-specific factors.This includes the launch of Bitcoin and Ethereum spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the election of pro-crypto President Donald Trump, as well as the subsequent regulatory developments.Meanwhile, CryptoQuant’s alert threshold was exceeded soon after Bitcointouched$100,000 on Thursday – for the first time in 2025. This has prompted market experts to believe that the crypto asset could climb to a new ATH by late January.Crypto as a National Priority?After a modest correction, Bitcoin was back up and trading above $102,000 at the time of writing. This comes amidstreportsof President-elect Donald Trump planning to issue an executive order making cryptocurrency a national priority soon after his Jan. 20 inauguration. The order aims to guide government agencies in collaborating with the industry and establishing a “crypto advisory council” to influence policy development.It may also direct agencies to review existing digital asset regulations and pause ongoing crypto-related lawsuits, including high-profile cases involving Binance and Ripple Labs. Additionally, Trump’s administration is considering creating a national Bitcoin strategic reserve, potentially expanding to include U.S.-founded digital assets such as Solana, USD Coin, and Ripple’s XRP.