Harvard Backs Bitcoin with $116M ETF Buy—Shifting Ivy League Traditions

Harvard endowment has quietly invested over $116 million into the BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust, making crypto one of its top-five holdings and signaling a notable shift in institutional finance.

In a surprising pivot, Harvard Management Company—the steward of Harvard University’s $53.2 billion endowment—has acquired approximately 1.9 million shares of the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), valued at around $116 million as of June 30, 2025. This makes Bitcoin the fifth-largest holding in its publicly reported portfolio, ahead of investments in Alphabet (Google’s parent company) and ranking just below tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, Booking, and Meta.

The decision reflects a broader trend among elite academic institutions embracing digital assets. Brown University has also increased its IBIT exposure to some $13 million, while Emory and the University of Austin have made earlier forays into crypto through the Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust and innovative blockchain funds.

Harvard’s investment strategy underscores confidence in Bitcoin as a store of value amid rising ETF liquidity—institutional demand for IBIT surged as its assets under management grew from $51.7 billion in December 2024 to $86.3 billion by mid-2025.

While this crypto exposure is significant, it remains a fraction of the endowment’s broader asset base—less than 14% is held in publicly disclosed equities (£1.4 billion). Still, Bitcoin now surpasses Harvard’s physical gold holdings held via SPDR Gold Trust.

Ultimately, Harvard’s move reflects evolving institutional perspectives on digital assets—embracing regulated ETF access to crypto as part of a diversified, modern university portfolio

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