Brown Joins Bitcoin ETF Trend With $4.9M Investment in BlackRock’s IBIT

Brown bought 105,000 shares of IBIT, making up 2.3 per cent of its $216M equity portfolio.

Brown University’s $4.9M IBIT stake marks its first direct spot Bitcoin ETF investment.

IBIT approval in Jan 2024 sparked a wave of institutional interest, including significant endowments

Brown University has publicly revealed its $4.9 million investment in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), representing its debut notable stake in spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds. The reported investment appears within the documents of recent 13f filings filed by the institution during Q1 2025.

Brown University acquired 105,000 shares from IBIT, translating into a 2.3% share of their $216 million disclosed equity portfolio. Because of this recent investment trend, institutional investors continue to shift toward regulated digital products

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved IBIT, leading to its rise in popularity beginning in January 2024. Multiple institutional entities with diverse backgrounds, such as hedge funds, asset managers and pensions, have become attracted to IBIT.

Traditional financial institutions show a growing interest in Bitcoin by establishing federally regulated instruments similar to Brown’s entry into the ETF. Brown University is among numerous educational institutions that are increasing their support of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds as legitimate assets.

Institutional Interest in Bitcoin ETFS Continues to Grow

University endowments’ risk-adverse behaviour guides their investments in digital assets, as they choose to invest through blockchain and venture capital funds. By investing directly in a Bitcoin ETF, Brown University shows potential signs of changing its strategy regarding Bitcoin’s role in long-term portfolio management.

Several academic institutions have made consistent choices to invest in Bitcoin after others made the same decision. The University of Austin expressed its Bitcoin fund worth $5 million in February 2025 during its $200 million endowment period. Brown University worked alongside Unchained to handle its Bitcoin holdings while agreeing to maintain the cryptocurrency for at least five years. The extended investment timeframe represents a general approach to treat Bitcoin as traditional assets such as stocks and property.

Digital assets have entered the portfolios of various educational institutions, with Stanford University and Emory University being among them. The endowments of Emory University and Stanford University started to invest in the Bitcoin Mini Trust managed by Grayscale and acquired shares from BlackRock’s IBIT fund. Institutional-grade custody alongside daily liquidity has made endowments more comfortable when betting on regulated crypto-based instruments.

Impact of the Bitcoin ETF Investment Trend on Education Endowments

Regulated Bitcoin ETFS that gain increasing popularity may boost their incorporation into university endowment funds. The products enable institutions to invest in Bitcoin through a mechanism that omits direct Bitcoin custody and the need to handle digital wallets. These products allow investors to see regulatory documents through SEC filings and maintain access to traditional brokerage services.

The University of Brown shows strong faith in digital asset longevity by maintaining a small investment stake in IBIT within its total investment portfolio. University investment strategy reviews likely result in related moves throughout the higher education sector.