Wall Road ramped up its publicity to bitcoin within the second quarter, including positions not solely in spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) but additionally in U.S. shares carefully tied to the cryptocurrency’s worth, in line with new filings with the Securities and Alternate Fee (SEC).
Brevan Howard almost doubled its place in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Belief (IBIT) throughout the second quarter, in line with a securities submitting. The macro-focused hedge fund held 37.9 million shares on the finish of June, up from about 21.5 million in March.
The stake was value greater than $2.6 billion primarily based on IBIT’s closing worth on June 28, making Brevan Howard one of many largest reported institutional holders of IBIT alongside Goldman Sachs, which boosted its place to $3.3 billion in IBIT and Constancy’s Sensible Origin Bitcoin Belief (FBTC). The banking large additionally held $489 million value of the iShares Ethereum Belief (ETHA), in line with a submitting.
Goldman’s possession of the ETFs isn’t essentially a direct wager by its buying and selling desk on bitcoin’s worth; slightly, it extra seemingly represents positions held by Goldman Sachs Asset Administration on behalf of its shoppers.
Brevan Howard, finest recognized for macro buying and selling, nonetheless, has lengthy been lively within the crypto area and operates a devoted digital asset division referred to as BH Digital. The unit manages billions in property and invests in blockchain infrastructure, decentralized finance and associated applied sciences.
Harvard, Wells Fargo and extra
Different main IBIT buyers embody Harvard College, which reported a $1.9 billion stake within the ETF, and Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Funding Firm, which continues to carry $681 million.
By way of U.S. banks, Wells Fargo almost quadrupled its holdings of IBIT to $160 million, up from $26 million within the earlier quarter, whereas sustaining a $200,000 stake within the Grayscale Bitcoin Fund (GBTC).
Cantor Fitzgerald additionally boosted its holdings to over $250 million whereas additionally rising stakes in crypto-related shares, together with Technique (MSTR), Coinbase (COIN) and Robinhood (HOOD), amongst others.
Buying and selling agency Jane Road revealed holding a $1.46 billion stake in IBIT, which represents the most important single place in its portfolio after Tesla (TSLA) at $1.41 billion. It elevated its stake in MSTR whereas decreasing its holdings of FBTC.
Spot bitcoin ETFs like IBIT, which launched in January, permit buyers to realize publicity to bitcoin’s worth with out straight holding the cryptocurrency. That construction affords conventional establishments an avenue to take part within the crypto market by way of acquainted brokerage accounts and custodial preparations.
Norway buys extra
For some abroad entities, gaining publicity to bitcoin is simpler by way of U.S.-listed firms that maintain giant quantities of BTC on their stability sheets.
That’s the strategy being taken by Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, together with a number of different European state-backed buyers, that are choosing fairness stakes in crypto-adjacent corporations slightly than holding the crypto straight.
Norges Financial institution Funding Administration (NBIM), the funding arm of the Norwegian central financial institution and the entity that manages the nation’s $2 trillion pension fund, now not directly holds 7,161 BTC, in line with a brand new observe from K33 Analysis. That determine is up 192% from 2,446 BTC a 12 months in the past, and up 87% from the three,821 BTC it held on the finish of 2024.
The most important portion of its publicity — 3,005 BTC — comes by way of shares in Technique. The remaining is unfold throughout firms like Marathon Digital, Coinbase, Block, and Metaplanet. K33 additionally counted GME (GameStop) and several other smaller holdings as contributing to the whole.
Nonetheless, the publicity stays tiny in context. Norway’s fund owns stakes in 1000’s of firms throughout international markets, and the worth of its bitcoin-linked investments is a fraction of its complete holdings. At a present market worth of $117,502 per BTC, the fund’s 7,161 BTC is value round $841 million — or lower than 0.05% of the $2 trillion portfolio.
The sharp improve over the previous 12 months might sign rising institutional consolation with the asset class, however it doesn’t signify a serious strategic shift—but.
