Overview
- Barclays reported a roughly 48% increase in iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) shareholdings to about $187 million and Citigroup disclosed a new roughly $119 million position in Fidelity’s FBTC alongside a roughly 50% rise in its IBIT shares as of Sept. 30.
- Early third‑quarter 13F filings put total institutional holdings in U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs at about $5.25 billion, with investment advisers holding roughly $3.5 billion and banks’ reported share rising to about $258 million or 4.9% of the institutional total.
- The SEC 13F process reports only quarter‑end positions and lists qualifying options separately, so the filings do not reveal whether banks held ETFs for clients, market‑making, hedging, or proprietary bets.
- Those Sept. 30 snapshots come before substantial fund flows in early November when bitcoin ETFs recorded large net outflows, led by withdrawals from IBIT between Nov. 2 and Nov. 6, so the quarter‑end numbers may not reflect current exposure.
- Institutional infrastructure is evolving too: Deutsche Bank launched custody for bitcoin, ether and several stablecoins in Europe on Nov. 11, a development that could broaden access for institutional clients and change flows reported in upcoming filings.