Crypto rally gains momentum as Bitcoin, Ethereum surge

August 24, 2026 (MLN): The cryptocurrency market carried its strong momentum into the new week, with Bitcoin and major altcoins advancing further after posting their strongest weekly performance of 2026.

Bitcoin rose around 1.7% on Monday to move back above $77,000, while Ethereum gained nearly 3.5% and traded close to $2,500. The broader cryptocurrency market capitalization also climbed above $2.6 trillion.

The latest gains extend a broad recovery that accelerated last week, with buying interest spreading beyond Bitcoin into Ethereum and several major altcoins.

Ethereum has surged around 30% over the past seven days, while XRP has climbed nearly 50% from its recent lows. HYPE has also advanced about 36%, while Bitcoin has gained more than 20% from levels near $63,000.

The recovery has also been supported by renewed institutional demand. U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded approximately $1.918bn in net inflows between August 17 and August 21, according to SoSoValue data. Ethereum ETFs attracted around $697m during the same period.

Other crypto investment products also posted inflows, with XRP ETFs receiving $39.78m, Solana ETFs $28.34m and HYPE products $3.89m.

The strong ETF inflows indicate that the latest rally has been accompanied by fresh institutional demand rather than being driven solely by speculative trading.

Bitcoin attracted the largest amount of investment in absolute terms, while Ethereum's sizeable inflows stand out relative to its smaller market capitalization.

The trend mirrors the spot market, where Ethereum has significantly outperformed Bitcoin during the recent recovery.

The rally gained further momentum after Bitcoin cleared several key resistance levels, triggering short-position liquidations and encouraging sidelined traders to return to the market.

With capital flowing into both Bitcoin and higher-risk altcoins, the broader crypto market has strengthened considerably, suggesting that the latest advance is developing as a market-wide recovery rather than a Bitcoin-only rally.

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