Harvard University, a prestigious institution with limited prior crypto engagement, made a surprising $116.6 million investment in BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) in Q2 2025, as revealed by SEC disclosure documents. This investment, Harvard’s fifth-largest portfolio holding, surpasses its stake in Alphabet (Google’s parent company) by approximately $3 million and marks its only direct Web3 exposure. The university’s portfolio also includes significant investments in tech giants like Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and Booking Holdings, as well as $104.4 million in NVIDIA, but IBIT stands out as its sole crypto-related commitment. While Harvard’s exact entry point into IBIT remains unclear, the move signals strong confidence in BlackRock’s leading Bitcoin ETF, which dominates the market for retail investors.

Despite a challenging July for Bitcoin ETFs, with BlackRock’s Ethereum ETF outperforming IBIT in weekly inflows, Harvard’s substantial investment could boost IBIT’s public profile and indicate growing institutional trust in cryptocurrency. This unexpected step by a traditional academic powerhouse highlights the increasing mainstream acceptance of digital assets, potentially influencing other institutional investors to explore similar opportunities in the evolving Web3 landscape.