BlackRock, currently the largest holder of $BTC ETFs

Billions of dollars are locked in custodians, and users cannot take control.

Here’s how they operate 👇📷🧵

I spent a lot of time researching.

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BlackRock currently holds more Bitcoin through ETFs than any other company.

On paper, these numbers are enormous. But investors buying these ETF shares do not actually own Bitcoin.

What they hold is a product equivalent in price, but they cannot access the asset itself.

ETF buyers cannot transfer currency or verify transactions.

Their positions exist with custodians, managed by institutions.

The core idea of Bitcoin has always been to eliminate third parties.

Yet ETFs bring those third parties back into the system.

This changes how power operates in Bitcoin. As more funds flow into custodial products, influence shifts to those controlling the custody.

Wall Street does not need to modify Bitcoin’s code. Liquidity gives them indirect leverage to shape the market.

Bitcoin is splitting into two different versions.

One is still fully controlled by individual users holding keys.

The other is locked in regulated products managed by financial institutions.

Both track the same price, but their uses are completely different.

The ETF structure provides regulators a new way to shape Bitcoin’s future.

Custodians hold the currency and adhere to the rules set by the government. Over time, political and legal pressures will further influence how Bitcoin operates.

Control is quietly shifting from users to institutions.

Once enough coins are held in these products, retail investors will begin to accumulate. Mining pools may adjust to comply with regulations. Certain transactions may become more difficult to process. Network neutrality is gradually disappearing without a sound.

When ETFs dominate, gold also underwent a similar transformation. Its value still exists, but its role as a free monetary asset has diminished. The gold market has become another controlled part of the financial system. Bitcoin now faces the same slow process.

Currently, most retail investors welcome price increases. They see money flowing in and believe it's beneficial for Bitcoin's growth. Few stop to think if they have given up true ownership.

Only when they can’t move what they think they own will they realize this.

The solution is simple but often overlooked. Withdraw your Bitcoin from exchanges and custodians.

Control your own keys and verify your own transactions. If you don’t hold it yourself, you are defaulting it to someone else to hold for you.

This discussion has never been about short-term price fluctuations. The issue is, as Bitcoin adoption continues to grow, who will be able to control it. You can own Bitcoin directly or rely on someone else’s promise to hold Bitcoin for you. As long as the window is still open, the choice remains with everyone.

No one will make that choice for you. But if you delay long enough, the system will quietly make it for you.

By then, it will be harder for innovation to take the initiative.

Ownership will belong to those who actually control BTC.