BlackRock in-house portfolio boosts IBIT Bitcoin ETF exposure by 25%
BlackRock’s in-house portfolio has been quietly accumulating shares of its Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF), underscoring the asset manager’s growing commitment to the cryptocurrency as part of a broader diversification strategy.
As of March 31, 2025, the BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio held 2,123,592 shares of the company’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), valued at $99.4 million, according to with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). That’s a notable uptick from Dec. 31, 2024, when the portfolio held 1,691,143 IBIT shares.
The BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio’s consolidated schedule of investments as of March 31, 2025. Source:
BlackRock’s approved by the SEC in January 2024. Since then, it has emerged as the largest fund in its category with more than $72 billion in net assets, according to Bitbo .
The second-largest US Bitcoin ETF is the Fidelity Wise Origin Fund (FBTC), which trails IBIT in net assets by $50 billion.
The Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio is primarily a bond-focused strategy that also seeks diversified exposure to other markets, aiming to boost total returns while preserving capital, BlackRock’s prospectus .
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Related:
Bitcoin ETF demand continues to rise among institutional investors
US spot Bitcoin ETFs shattered records in their debut year, and 2025 is shaping up to deliver a similar performance.
As , May is shaping up to be a record month for spot ETFs, which saw more than $1.5 billion in net inflows over just two days.
BlackRock’s IBIT has driven much of that growth, , including multiple days with net buys topping $500 million.
Net inflows indicate that asset managers are buying shares of the Bitcoin ETFs to meet growing investor demand.
Using the early success of gold ETFs as a benchmark, recently projected that Bitcoin fund inflows could reach $120 billion this year and more than double to $300 billion by 2026.
In terms of net inflows, Bitcoin ETFs vastly outperformed gold ETFs in their debut year. This trend is expected to continue in the coming years. Source:
While spot Bitcoin ETFs have opened the door for retail and institutional investors, a major untapped market remains: the wealth management platforms and wirehouses of major institutions, Bitwise analysts Juan Leon, Guillaume Girard and Will Owens wrote in the report.
