Important points
- Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC) has tripled its stake in BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) in Q3 2025.
- ADIC increased its holdings from 2.4 million shares to nearly 8 million, reportedly valued at about $518 million.
- ADIC claims Bitcoin is digitally equivalent to gold, demonstrating growing confidence in its long-term value despite market volatility.
- Abu Dhabi Investment Council’s strategic move comes amid $3.1 billion outflows from US Bitcoin ETFs in November
Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC), a sovereign wealth fund established in 2007 and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company, just tripled its exposure to Bitcoin (BTC) in the third quarter. BlackRock Spot Bitcoin ETF. As of September 30th, the government-backed asset manager had increased its holdings from 2.4 million shares to nearly 8 million, bringing its total holdings to nearly $518 million at the end of the third quarter, according to the latest report.
Bloomberg releases report Abu Dhabi Investment Council said it had increased its holdings in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF to about 8 million shares as of September 30, with a value at the time of about $518 million. According to the report, this position was taken just before the bull run that saw BTC fall by nearly 20% to $92,000 since the end of September.
An ADIC spokesperson told Bloomberg that the company views Bitcoin as a store of value similar to gold and sees it playing an increasingly important role alongside gold as the world continues to move towards a more digital future. Both assets contribute to portfolio diversification and we looked forward to holding them as part of our short- and long-term strategies.
When analyzing the market situation of this movement, abu dhabi investment council The funds come amid $3.1 billion in outflows from U.S. Bitcoin ETFs in November, including a staggering $523 million in one-day withdrawals from IBIT. Market experts believe that ADIC’s investment, amidst an overall market downturn, signals sustained and growing institutional investor interest in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the country’s ambitions to become a global crypto financial hub in the near future. ADIC has over $1.7 trillion in assets and its autonomy could mean that Abu Dhabi’s sovereign funds will be increasingly allocated to digital assets such as BTC. Bitcoin News reported. The move is notable considering the huge financial implications for Abu Dhabi. The emirate’s wealth funds manage more than $1.7 trillion, and parent fund Mubadala was central to positioning Abu Dhabi as a global crypto hub.
In summary, despite widespread institutional adoption trends and volatility, ADIC’s latest investment in BTC shares reflects Bitcoin’s strategic and long-term master plan, given the important role and value BTC has to play. Experts say the move is groundbreaking and aimed at long-term implications rather than a short-term speculative move.
In early 2025, Mubadala took a $436 million position in IBIT.
Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company also purchased around $436 million worth of Bitcoin ETFs through BlackRock in the first quarter of 2025. In the first quarter of 2025, Mbala invested in a Bitcoin ETF, one of the first major cryptocurrency allocations by an autonomous sovereign body. The acquisition was completed on February 15, 2025, making Mubadala Investment Company the seventh largest known holder of BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF at the time.
Crypto Town Hall tweeted on February 15, 2025, that an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund disclosed $463 million in Bitcoin ETF holdings, marking another big institutional bet on BTC. They noted that this followed similar moves by Norway, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and Canada as sovereign funds ramp up their crypto exposure. They questioned whether Bitcoin would also become part of the US strategy as President Trump pushes for the creation of a US sovereign wealth fund.
