Brown University Reveals $4.9M Exposure to BlackRock’s Spot Bitcoin ETF

In a noteworthy development, Brown University has disclosed a $4.9 million investment in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), the largest U.S.-based spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) by assets under management (AUM).

Brown University Holds 105K Shares of IBIT

In a 13F filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Ivy League institution reported holding 105,000 shares of IBIT as of March 31, marking its first reported exposure to a spot Bitcoin ETF.

A 13F filing is a quarterly report required by the SEC from institutional investment managers with over $100 million in AUM. It provides transparency into their equity holdings and is closely watched for signs of strategic investment shifts.

The recently submitted 13F filing shows that Brown University’s IBIT position represents approximately 2.3% of its $216 million disclosed equity holdings across 14 assets.

While the position may seem small, the move is considered a significant step for an academic institution traditionally viewed as risk-averse.

Shift Towards Crypto Exposure

However, Brown University is not alone in its shift towards digital asset exposure. Similarly, the University of Austin recently disclosed a $5 million Bitcoin fund. Emory and Stanford have also gained exposure to the original cryptocurrency through Grayscale and other ETF products.

Since going live in January 2024, IBIT has emerged as the world’s leading spot Bitcoin ETF. As of Q1 2025, it held 290,040 BTC and managed over $52.9 billion in assets. On May 1, IBIT attracted $351 million in net inflows, the highest among all spot Bitcoin ETFs.

The 12 U.S.-based spot Bitcoin EFTs collectively saw positive inflows totalling $422 million on that day.

Thanks to the significant institutional exposure to these ETFs, Bitcoin has continued to impress. At press time, the original cryptocurrency traded at $97,301, representing a 1% surge in the past 24 hours and a 3% surge over the past week.

Analysts predict that with this continuous institutional adoption of Bitcoin through these regulated products, the pioneer cryptocurrency could soon surpass its peak of over $109,000 achieved in January.

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