BlackRock, Fidelity, Bitwise Bitcoin ETF Grab $205M From New York RIA

As a researcher with a background in finance and experience tracking institutional investments in digital assets, I find the recent moves by Pine Ridge Advisers and Canadian banks towards Bitcoin ETFs to be noteworthy. These traditional financial institutions are increasingly acknowledging the potential of crypto markets and diversifying their portfolios accordingly.


Expert: A notable sum of $205 million, managed by Pine Ridge Advisors in New York, has been distributed among various Spot Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). These funds are led by industry titans such as BlackRock, Fidelity, and Bitwise. This action underscores the growing trend of institutional investment in Bitcoin ETFs.

New York RIA Invests In IBIT, FBTC, BITB

As a researcher, I’ve come across an interesting piece of information regarding Pine Ridge Advisers’ asset allocation. Specifically, around 23% of their total assets under management (AUM) are invested in Bitcoin and related ETFs, $IBIT, $FBTC, and $BITB. Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF Analyst at Bloomberg, brought this to my attention in a recent post. He noted that Pine Ridge Advisers now manage $205 million of these cryptocurrency products, suggesting there might be an arbitrage play involved or perhaps an RIA allocating a significant portion of a client’s portfolio to Bitcoin.

This action highlights an increasing number of conventional financial institutions and Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) entering the rapidly expanding crypto market. Furthermore, Pine Ridge Advisers’ choice to distribute their investment among multiple Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) managed by companies like BlackRock, Fidelity, and Bitwise reflects a diversified investment strategy.

Based on the information provided by Balchunas on X, I, as an analyst, would interpret it this way: The New York-based advisory firm, Pine Ridge Advisers, holds the largest position in Fidelity Wise’s FBTC with a stake worth approximately $93.38 million. This allocation represents almost 11% of the FBTC’s overall portfolio.

On the contrary, BlackRock’s IBIT ETF holds a significant investment of $83.17 million in Bitcoin ETFs. In comparison, Bitwise Bitcoin ETF has an investment of $29.26 million in the New York RIA’s portfolio. Therefore, the combined investment in Bitcoin ETFs amounts to an impressive total of $205.81 million.

Canadian Banks Adopt Bitcoin ETFs

As a crypto investor, I’m excited to see Canadian heavyweights Scotiabank and TD Bank making significant strides in the U.S. Bitcoin ETF market. With millions of dollars invested between them, Scotiabank has revealed an investment of over $1.5 million spread across three major Bitcoin ETFs: BlackRock’s IBIT, Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), and Fidelity Wise’s FBTC.

Based on its most recent 13F filing disclosure, Scotiabank holds investments worth $512,988 in Fidelity Wise’s Bitcoin ETF and $486,472 in Grayscale Bitcoin Trust. The bank has allocated the largest portion of $580,339 to BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin ETF. In total, Scotiabank’s investments in Bitcoin ETFs amount to approximately $1.57 million.

TD Bank, Canada’s second-largest financial institution, has earmarked approximately $121,410 for investment in BlackRock’s IBIT ETF. This may seem insignificant, but it marks a noteworthy shift for the bank, renowned for its prudent investment approaches. Additionally, TD is contemplating an investment of around $484,500 in ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO).

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2024-05-15 16:12