A first reported entry into Bitcoin (BTC) was made by Brown University through a $4.9 million investment in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), as disclosed in a recent 13F filing submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Brown’s investment reflects a growing trend of universities adopting Bitcoin ETFs to gain exposure to digital assets.
During the first quarter, the Ivy League institution acquired 105,000 shares of the ETF, representing roughly 2.3% of its disclosed $216 million in equity holdings.
With this purchase, Brown joined the growing list of traditional institutions using regulated investment vehicles to gain exposure to digital assets.
Mainstream Adoption Accelerates Through Bitcoin ETFs
Hedge funds, pension funds, and more recently, university endowments have widely adopted spot Bitcoin ETFs, which directly mirror Bitcoin’s market price.
Since the SEC approved it in January 2024, BlackRock’s IBIT has become a preferred gateway for institutional investors. Within less than a year, it has ranked among the top-performing ETFs in market history.
As of March 31, IBIT held approximately 576,038 Bitcoin, with net assets valued at $47.78 billion.
Brown made the decision as part of a broader trend among long-term asset managers seeking Bitcoin exposure through traditional financial instruments. Institutions now use spot ETFs like IBIT to access Bitcoin without taking on the operational burden of custody or directly managing tokens.
Universities Turn to Bitcoin as Digital Asset Adoption Grows
University endowments had mostly acted cautiously, but that trend has shifted in recent months. In February, the University of Austin announced a $5 million allocation to Bitcoin as part of its endowment strategy.
The University of Austin established the fund in collaboration with Unchained and structured it with a minimum holding period of five years.
Other institutions, including Stanford and Emory, have also reported gaining exposure to Bitcoin through regulated investment products. These actions indicate that digital assets are gradually becoming normalized within institutional portfolios that were once considered too conservative for cryptocurrency investments.
At the time of the disclosure, Bitcoin traded just below $97,000, according to data from CryptoSlate.
 was made by Brown University through a $4.9 million investment in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), as disclosed in a recent 13F filing submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.){kind=link}