Arbitrum leads in capital inflow in 2025, with ARB price under pressure and consolidating. Will there be a turning point in 2026?

In 2025, funds in the crypto market are gradually shifting from short-term narratives to real, usable infrastructure. Against this backdrop, Arbitrum has become one of the most capital-favored networks in the Layer 2 space. Although the ARB price has been depressed for a long time, on-chain data and fundamental performance are providing deeper clues for its subsequent trend.

According to Artemis on-chain data, Arbitrum recorded the highest net capital inflow among major blockchains in 2025, indicating a clear rotation of funds towards scalable, low-cost, and mature Ethereum Layer 2 infrastructure. Compared to short-term capital surges driven by incentives and airdrops, Arbitrum’s capital inflow has been more stable, reflecting recognition from institutions and long-term investors of its execution environment and network stability.

From a fundamental perspective, Arbitrum’s growth continues. Its total on-chain asset value has approached $20 billion, reflecting a strong liquidity foundation. Through tokenized stock trading launched by Robinhood, the cumulative trading volume has exceeded $50 million, further expanding Arbitrum’s influence in real-world assets and compliant application scenarios.

In terms of revenue, Arbitrum also performs steadily. In October, the network generated approximately $4.5 million in revenue across multiple verticals, and the accumulated fee income from Arbitrum Timeboost has exceeded $6 million. Notably, the Timeboost auctions are mainly participated in by four institutions, indicating that the current stage is still early institutional deployment rather than demand recession.

Without considering incentive factors, Arbitrum’s real usage becomes clearer. Its transaction volume has long been among the top Layer 2 networks, second only to Base, and has not experienced sharp fluctuations caused by airdrop incentives. This suggests that network activity is primarily driven by application demand and genuine user needs, rather than short-term speculation.

Regarding price, as of December 28, ARB remains oscillating within a long-term descending wedge, trading around $0.19. After multiple tests of the lower support, downward momentum has not significantly increased. The RSI is near neutral, and the MACD momentum is weak, indicating more of a convergence and consolidation rather than a trend-based decline.

Against the backdrop of continued capital inflows and steadily expanding fundamentals, ARB’s current low-volatility state may be accumulating energy for the direction choice in 2026. For investors focused on Layer 2 infrastructure, Arbitrum ecosystem development, and the medium- to long-term trend of ARB, this phase is worth ongoing monitoring.