The prestigious Ivy League university is betting on Bitcoin by acquiring shares of BlackRock’s spot ETF.
Brown University recently made an investment in Bitcoin through BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), as revealed by a new 13F-HR filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
According to the holdings report filed on May 2, the university owns 105,000 shares of IBIT, valued at around $4.9 million at the end of the first quarter. The value of these shares has since risen to approximately $5.8 million, making the position about 2.3% of its reported $216 million equity holdings. This position represents only a small portion of the university’s total endowment, which surpassed $7.2 billion at the end of the 2024 fiscal year.
“Over the past few decades, the financial markets have significantly increased in complexity, and as the value of the endowment has grown, Brown has adapted,” its 2024 endowment report reads. “Today, a team of professional investors pursues a diverse set of investment strategies that require high levels of expertise and investment acumen.”
The university’s portfolio includes diversified investments in stocks, bonds, private companies, real estate, and commodities, now complemented by exposure to Bitcoin.
Brown isn’t the first university to seek exposure to the leading cryptocurrency. In May 2024, the University of Austin (UATX) partnered with Bitcoin services firm Unchained to launch a $5 million endowment fund.
Later, in October, Emory University in Atlanta disclosed a Bitcoin exposure of nearly $16 million through the Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust. While its most recent report shows a reduction in holdings, the university still holds about $22 million in Bitcoin exposure due to the asset’s price appreciation. Additionally, it holds over $1 million in Coinbase stock.
