BlackRock Fund Raises Bitcoin ETF Exposure Amid Growing Institutional Interest
BlackRock’s Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio, one of the firm’s in-house mutual funds, has increased its holdings in the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) ETF, according to the latest SEC filing.
As of September 30, the fund owned 2,397,423 IBIT shares valued at $155.8 million, up 14% from 2,096,447 shares reported at the end of June.
The Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio is an unconstrained bond fund that invests across government debt, corporate credit, mortgages, emerging markets, and cash-like assets. Its flexible mandate allows it to incorporate nontraditional assets such as ETFs when they align with the fund’s total return and diversification objectives, enabling IBIT to sit alongside its fixed-income holdings.
IBIT has also attracted attention after Nasdaq ISE filed to raise the position limit for IBIT options to one million contracts. Institutional ownership of IBIT continues to climb, now exceeding 400 million shares—the highest level since its launch.
Bitcoin (BTC) recently surpassed $91,000, while IBIT gained about 2% in premarket trading, trading near $52 per share.
