Harvard University's endowment fund has taken a Heavy Position in Bitcoin ETF! Investing $116 million to lay out BlackRock's IBIT, becoming a benchmark for institutional Holdings.

Harvard Management Company, which manages a $53.2 billion endowment fund, recently disclosed that it holds $116 million worth of BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Spot ETF (IBIT). This move signifies a significant increase in recognition of the Bitcoin asset class among top academic institutions, with IBIT holdings ranked as the fifth largest heavy position in its investment portfolio. At the same time, the substantial easing of restrictions on Bitcoin ETF options trading by the U.S. SEC, along with Michigan pension funds significantly increasing their holdings in Bitcoin ETFs, are collectively driving institutional funds to continue flowing into the crypto market.

Harvard Endowment Fund Heavily Buys IBIT, Holdings Rank Fifth According to a filing submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday, as of June 30, Harvard University's endowment fund held approximately 1.9 million shares of BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Spot ETF (IBIT), with a position value of about $116 million based on the valuation at that time. This Bitcoin ETF investment has become the fifth largest Holdings in the donation fund's portfolio, only behind Microsoft, Amazon, Booking Holdings, and Meta (the parent company of Facebook). This is one of the most notable investments in the Bitcoin Spot ETF space by top American university endowments to date.

Top universities enter the field, institutions deepen the adoption of Bitcoin Harvard University's investment is a significant signal of the deepening adoption of Bitcoin financial products by elite academic institutions in the United States. Although it was reported that Harvard explored the possibility of investing in encryption funds as early as 2018, its investment portfolio for 2025 had previously been heavily focused on tech giants. In 2024, Emory University became one of the first major U.S. endowments to disclose holdings in a cryptocurrency ETF, holding $15 million worth of Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust (BTC) shares.

IBIT scale breaks through 86 billion, Options quota relaxation stimulates demand Since January 2024, when the U.S. SEC approved the listing of BlackRock's iShares and 10 other Bitcoin Spot ETFs, the scale of IBIT has grown rapidly. According to the latest data from BlackRock, as of this Thursday, the fund's net assets have exceeded $86 billion, making it the largest Bitcoin ETF in the world. This week, the SEC further took action to significantly raise the position limit for all ETF Options Contracts (including iShares Bitcoin ETF) from 25,000 to 250,000. Market observers expect this move to stimulate a new round of demand for the fund, which has become a key entry point for institutional and retail investors seeking regulated Bitcoin exposure.

Michigan pension fund significantly increased its holdings in Bitcoin ETF by three times in Q2 According to reports, the State of Michigan Retirement System has also increased its Bitcoin exposure. The pension fund doubled its holdings of ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB) in the second quarter to 300,000 shares, valued at approximately $11.4 million. As of March 31, the pension fund, which manages $19.3 billion in assets, held 100,000 shares of ARKB. In addition to Bitcoin, the Michigan pension fund also maintains a stable allocation to Ethereum by holding 460,000 shares of Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETHE), currently valued at approximately $13.6 million. This holding has remained unchanged since September 2024.

US pension funds accelerate investment in encryption assets Michigan's move has joined the ranks of an increasing number of U.S. state pensions that are increasing their crypto asset allocation. For example, the State of Wisconsin Investment Board currently holds over 6 million shares of BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), valued at approximately $387.3 million.

The probability of Spot Altcoin ETF approval is rising At the same time, Bloomberg's senior ETF analyst raised the probability of Solana Spot ETF, XRP Spot ETF, and Litecoin Spot ETF receiving SEC approval this year from the previous 90% to 95%, showing that the market's optimism towards institutional encryption products continues to heat up.

Conclusion: The significant entry of Harvard University's endowment fund, combined with the continuous increase in holdings from U.S. pensions and the easing of restrictions on Bitcoin ETF options trading, has injected strong institutional confidence into the crypto market. The regulatory authorities' potential openness to more crypto spot ETFs indicates that the process of mainstreaming digital assets is expected to accelerate further, but the market volatility risks and specific regulatory trends still require ongoing attention from investors.