Harvard Bets Big: $116.7M Bitcoin Play Through BlackRock’s IBIT ETF Signals Institutional Confidence

Ivy League money meets crypto’s Wall Street makeover.

Harvard’s endowment—the academic world’s richest piggy bank—just parked $116.7 million in BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF (IBIT). No mining rigs, no cold wallets—just old-school finance dipping its toe into digital gold.

Why it matters

When a $50B endowment starts allocating to Bitcoin, it’s not FOMO—it’s policy. The move follows Yale and University of Michigan’s crypto experiments, proving even ivory towers can’t ignore 24/7 markets.

The fine print

BlackRock’s IBIT holds actual BTC, not futures. Harvard gets exposure without the custody headaches—Wall Street’s version of ‘have your cake and HODL it too.’

Bottom line

Another brick in Bitcoin’s institutional case—though we’ll see how Harvard’s risk managers sleep when the next 30% correction hits. Pension funds next? Probably… right after they finish ‘understanding the technology.’