Catenaa, Saturday, February 22, 2025 – Barclays has revealed a $131 million position in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), marking its latest foray into the growing institutional adoption of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
According to a regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the UK-based banking giant holds 2,473,064 shares of IBIT as of December 31.
The investment was made during the fourth quarter, a period that saw Bitcoin surge to record highs amid increasing institutional interest.
Barclays joins major financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan in ramping up Bitcoin ETF holdings. Goldman Sachs’ latest SEC filing revealed a 121% increase in its Bitcoin ETF exposure, bringing its total stake to $1.57 billion. Meanwhile, JPMorgan’s filings show its Bitcoin fund exposure now exceeds $964,000.
The SEC’s approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs has fueled significant institutional inflows, with BlackRock’s IBIT leading the market, pulling in $3.2 billion in January. Analysts at Bernstein predict Bitcoin could reach $200,000 by the end of 2025, citing accelerating institutional adoption.
