Harvard Triples Its Bitcoin ETF Investment as Institutional Interest Grows
The sharp rise in Harvard University's investment in BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF marks a major turning point for established institutions...
Quick overview
- Harvard University's investment in BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF has surged, with its holdings increasing to 6.8 million shares valued at $442.8 million, marking a 257% rise since August.
- This investment now surpasses Harvard's stakes in major tech companies like Microsoft and Amazon, making it the university's largest U.S. investment in its quarterly filing.
- Other institutions, including Emory College and Al Warda Investments, are also increasing their Bitcoin ETF holdings, indicating a growing trend among universities and sovereign wealth funds.
- Despite recent Bitcoin price drops and ETF outflows, long-term institutional investments in Bitcoin are on the rise, suggesting a strategic shift towards regulated exchange-traded funds.
The sharp rise in Harvard University’s investment in BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF marks a major turning point for established institutions to enter the cryptocurrency space. According to recent regulatory reports during the third quarter of 2025 the university’s endowment fund’s holdings in the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) more than tripled.
Harvard Now Holds 6.8 Million Shares of BlackRock’s IBIT
At the end of September Harvard Management Company which oversees the $57 billion endowment of the university declared that it owned 6.8 million IBIT shares valued at $442.8 million.
This represents a 257% increase from the 1.9 million shares valued at $116 million that Harvard initially disclosed in August. Even more than its stakes in Microsoft, Amazon and the SPDR Gold Trust. The new investment marks IBIT Harvard’s largest U.S. investment in its quarterly filing.
Harvard raised its awareness of gold in addition to Bitcoin. It now owns 661,391 shares worth $235 million in SPDR Gold Shares (GLD), nearly doubling its stake.
Harvard’s remaining major purchases are still in important American technological firms, such as:
Amazon
Meta
Microsoft
Alphabet (Google)
Additionally Harvard purchased shares in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing business (TSMC) for $59.1 million and launched a new $16.8 million investment in the fintech business Klarna.
Other Institutions Follow Harvard’s Lead
There are more major universities adopting Bitcoin ETFs besides Harvard:+
- Emory College
- increased its Bitcoin Mini Trust holdings by 91% with Grayscale
- has more than a million Bitcoin shares.
- Furthermore has a smaller IBIT slot.
Earlier this year Emory was the first American university to disclose its Bitcoin ETF holdings. Because custody is managed by big, reputable companies like BlackRock and Grayscale, university experts claim that ETFs lower risk.
Just checked and yeah $IBIT is now Harvard's largest position in its 13F and its biggest position increase in Q3. It's super rare/difficult to get an endowment to bite on an ETF- esp a Harvard or Yale, it's as good a validation as an ETF can get. That said, half a billion is a… https://t.co/oTiSL29llB pic.twitter.com/yw0tRcD1ad
— Eric Balchunas (@EricBalchunas) November 15, 2025
Al Warda Investments in Abu Dhabi
Al Warda a member of the Mubadala sovereign wealth ecosystem, also grew its IBIT position by almost 230%, currently owning:
IBIT shares of 7.9 million
Approximately $517 million
This shows that Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds are becoming more interested in Bitcoin as a long-term diversification tactic.
Bitcoin ETF Outflows Rise as BTC Price Drops
Bitcoin ETFs suffered $1.11 billion in net outflows this week as Bitcoin dropped below $100,000 despite significant institutional inflows. Over $532 million was taken out of IBIT alone.
Gains earned earlier in the year were erased as Bitcoin quickly fell to $93,029. Even still long-term institutions seem unconcerned and keep making purchases even as prices decline.
LATEST: 🎓 Harvard University tripled its Bitcoin exposure in Q3 2025, with its endowment now holding $443 million worth of BlackRock's IBIT ETF — the university's largest declared US equity holding. pic.twitter.com/LuEFtwn5Wh
— CoinMarketCap (@CoinMarketCap) November 17, 2025
How This Will Affect Bitcoin’s Future
The most recent filings definitely show a trend:
Sovereign funds and endowments are investing in Bitcoin ahead of schedule.
Rather than being short-term traders, these purchases are long-term and strategic.
Institutions are increasingly choosing to invest in Bitcoin through regulated exchange-traded funds.
Even in times of market turbulence, Bitcoin is becoming a common asset, as evidenced by Harvard’s significant entry into Bitcoin ETFs.
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