Harvard Boosts Bitcoin Exposure With Massive 257% ETF Increase
Harvard triples its Bitcoin ETF holdings, adding 6.8m IBIT shares as BTC trades near $96K. Institutional demand rises as Emory and Abu Dhabi
Quick overview
- Harvard University has significantly increased its Bitcoin holdings, now owning 6.81 million shares of BlackRock's spot Bitcoin ETF, IBIT, a 257% rise since June.
- This move positions IBIT as Harvard's largest U.S. holding, surpassing investments in major companies like Microsoft and Amazon.
- Other institutions, including Emory University and Abu Dhabi's Al Warda Investments, are also expanding their Bitcoin ETF positions, indicating a broader institutional interest.
- Despite Bitcoin's recent price drop, the filings suggest a growing trend of long-term investors entering the regulated Bitcoin market.
Harvard University has sharply expanded its exposure to Bitcoin, nearly tripling its holdings of BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, IBIT, according to its latest 13F filing. The world’s largest academic endowment now owns 6.81 million IBIT shares, up 257% from the 1.9 million it reported in June.
The move pushes IBIT to the top of Harvard’s declared U.S. holdings, overtaking long-standing positions in Microsoft, Amazon, and the SPDR Gold Trust. As of the filing date, the stake was valued at $442.8 million, though it has since declined to roughly $364.4 million following Bitcoin’s drop below $100,000.
Even at nearly half a billion dollars, the allocation is small relative to Harvard’s $57bn endowment, but analysts say the signal value is far larger.
Bloomberg’s Eric Balchunas called the move a major endorsement of Bitcoin ETFs, noting that “it’s extremely rare for an endowment—especially Harvard or Yale—to take a direct ETF position.”
IBIT remains the largest spot Bitcoin ETF by assets under management, although it has recorded $532.4m in net outflows over the past week. Bitcoin last traded near $96,180, according to The Block’s BTC price data.
More Institutions Quietly Accumulate Bitcoin ETFs
Harvard isn’t alone. Other major institutions also expanded their exposure.
Emory University reported holding 1,027,000 shares of Grayscale’s Bitcoin Mini Trust (BTC), a 91% increase from its June filing. The position, valued at $42.9m, makes Emory the first U.S. university to publicly disclose spot Bitcoin ETF ownership. Emory also holds 4,450 shares of IBIT, unchanged since last quarter.
Emory faculty noted that ETFs offer operational and custodial security large institutions prefer, with accounting professor Matthew Lyle stating that using managers like Grayscale or BlackRock reduces direct custody risks.
In the Middle East, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, Al Warda Investments, reported a major position in IBIT as well:
7,963,393 shares worth approximately $517.6m, up 230% from the 2.41 million shares reported in June. The fund is overseen by the Abu Dhabi Investment Council, part of the Mubadala group.
Market Takeaway
The filings reveal a growing institutional shift toward regulated Bitcoin products—even as BTC trades below $100,000 and ETF flows soften. With academic endowments and sovereign funds stepping in, the market is seeing deeper long-horizon investors use price weakness to scale into spot ETF positions.
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