Bitcoin has gained attention in recent years as one of the most valuable stores of value, with institutional adoption reaching new highs this year. One such landmark Bitcoin acquisition was made by Harvard University, perhaps the most prestigious academic institution in the world.
In early August, Harvard University unveiled an investment portfolio that included $117 million worth of shares in BlackRock’s Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) as of the end of the second quarter. According to the latest disclosure, the university’s BTC exposure nearly tripled in the last quarter.
BlackRock’s IBIT becomes Harvard University’s largest investment
In its latest 13F filing, Harvard University disclosed that it owns 6,813,612 shares of BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), valued at approximately $443 million as of September 30.
This follow-on acquisition highlights the institution’s broader capital allocation strategy, increasing its holdings in SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) to 661,391 shares in Q3 2025, valued at approximately $235 million.
Notably, Harvard University’s current holdings in the flagship Spot BTC ETF are up 257% from its published 1,906,000 shares as of June. Currently, BlackRock’s exchange-traded fund is the university’s largest investment in its reported holdings.
Although IBIT’s current status is only a fraction of Harvard’s $57 billion endowment, it is significant enough to make it the 16th largest IBIT holder. As we speculated earlier, talk of institutional adoption like this lends further credence to Bitcoin’s status as a strategic reserve asset and the growing demand for exchange-traded funds.
Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas writes about X:
It’s very rare and difficult to get endowments that go into an ETF, especially at places like Harvard and Yale, but that’s about as good validation as an ETF can get. However, $500 million is only 1% of the total donations. It is so large that it is ranked 16th among IBIT holders.
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF records largest single-day outflow
U.S.-based Bitcoin ETFs have suffered from weak investor demand in recent weeks, with the past week being particularly disappointing. Exchange-traded funds posted net outflows totaling $1.1 billion over the past week, according to the latest market data.
The outflow was led by BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust, which has now experienced three consecutive days of outflows. According to data from SoSoValue, $463.1 million was outflowed from BTC ETFs on Friday, November 14th.
As of this writing, BlackRock’s IBIT still ranks as the largest spot Bitcoin ETF, with net assets worth approximately $74.98 billion.
The price of BTC on the daily timeframe | Source: BTCUSDT chart on TradingView
Featured image by Rick Friedman/AFP via Getty Images, chart from TradingView
