Barclays became the latest large financial institution in the U.S. to get on board the Bitcoin ETF train. The company reported a new holding in the iShares Bitcoin Trust, or IBIT in its most recent 13F filing.
According to the filing on Thursday, as at December 31, IBIT’s UK-based parent bank held 2,473,064 IBIT shares valued at $131 millions.
This purchase was made during the 4th quarter from October to December. The price of Bitcoin has risen by 0.8% in just one day according to CoinGecko.
Barclays is following a growing trend of institutional investment in crypto products. Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and other banking giants have also been increasing their Bitcoin ETF investments in the last few months.
BTC’s record-breaking high of $109, 000 just prior to the U.S. presidential election has allowed big players to take advantage of the rise in crypto without actually owning BTC.
It is important to note that the approval of Bitcoin The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) introduction of ETFs has allowed these institutions to gain exposure to BTC without the usual volatility and concerns about regulatory issues that come with direct ownership.
Goldman Sachs reported, for example, that its Bitcoin ETF stakes had increased by 121%, to $1.57billion.
JPMorgan, the banking giant, recently increased its BTC exposure to $964,322, which is now a total of $964,322.
According to Farside Investors’ data, U.S. Bitcoin-related ETFs experienced a $5 billion surge in January 2025. This trend is expected to continue into 2025 and forecasts suggest that over $50 billion will be invested.
BlackRock IBIT, Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund and BlackRock IBIT were the two funds that saw net inflows of $3.2 Billion in January.
IBIT was the best performing Bitcoin ETF in January with $3.2 billion. Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund, (FBTC), followed closely behind, with $1.3 billion.
Analysts expect BTC to continue its upward trend in the years ahead. They predict it will reach up to $200,000 by 2025.
Stacy Elliott is the editor.