Bitcoin Exchange Inflows Rise as U.S. Trading Volume Surges Sharply

Bitcoin (BTC) is seeing a renewed bout of exchange inflows even as trading activity has sharply rotated toward the U.S. session, a combination that traders often watch for clues on near-term market intent and liquidity conditions.

Data from CoinGlass showed that as of May 18 at 01:27 UTC, major centralized exchanges held a combined 2,455,173 BTC. Over the past 24 hours, exchanges recorded a net inflow of 684 BTC, extending a run of inbound transfers. On a seven-day basis, net inflows totaled 3,077 BTC. However, the one-month picture still points to a broader drawdown in exchange balances, with a net outflow of 9,200 BTC—suggesting that despite the recent reversal, the medium-term trend remains toward declining exchange-held BTC.

Among individual venues, Coinbase Pro held the largest reported balance at 853,166 BTC, posting net inflows of 115.67 BTC over the day and 614.63 BTC over the week. Binance held 618,386 BTC and recorded the largest net daily inflow among major exchanges at 340.71 BTC, while its weekly net inflow reached 2,883.28 BTC. Bitfinex held 402,791 BTC but saw net outflows of 42.69 BTC on the day and 987.92 BTC over the week.

CoinGlass data also highlighted the day’s biggest net movers. The largest daily net inflows were seen on Binance (341 BTC), Bybit (340 BTC), and OKX (211 BTC). The largest daily net outflows were recorded by Kraken (-364 BTC), KuCoin (-44 BTC), and Bitfinex (-43 BTC).

While balance movements can reflect a range of behaviors—such as coins being positioned for potential selling, collateral use, or arbitrage—time-segmented volume data pointed to a clear geographic shift in execution. On Binance’s BTCUSDT pair, trading volume during the U.S. session reached $1.93 billion, compared with $104.31 million in Asia hours and $170.92 million in Europe hours, according to CoinGlass.

The U.S.-session surge was especially notable versus the prior day’s breakdown: Asia hours logged $1.08 billion, Europe hours $191.92 million, and the U.S. session $97.04 million. That implies U.S.-session activity jumped roughly 1,889% day over day, while Asia volume fell about 90% and European volume edged lower.

The divergence underscores how quickly liquidity can concentrate in one time zone, potentially amplifying price moves and increasing the impact of large orders during the dominant session. With the U.S. trading window accounting for the bulk of the day’s activity and exchange inflows ticking higher in the near term, market participants will be watching whether the shift reflects short-lived positioning or the start of more sustained, U.S.-led momentum across crypto markets.