Harvard cuts stake in BlackRock’s BTC ETF as crypto deleverage extends into Q1

Harvard University’s endowment fund decided to reduce its investment in crypto ETFs. The first quarter of 2026 saw some massive slashing. The fund fully exited from its Ether ETF position. However, it also cut its stake in BlackRock’s linked BTC ETF by around 43%.

Fresh SEC 13F filings show Harvard Management Company lowered its holdings in iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT). It axed 3,044,612 shares (approx. worth $117 million) of its holding. This comes in when Harvard has already slashed its position by 21% in Q4 of 2025.

Harvard exits BlackRock ETH ETF

The global crypto market has seen a dip over the last week. Its cumulative cap hovers around $2.6 trillion. Bitcoin price has dropped by more than 3% in the past 7 days. Ether price slumped by almost 6% in the same period.

Data shows that Harvard completely exited its position in BlackRock’s Ether ETF. It eliminated exposure of about $86.8 million. This signals how some institutional investors are continuing to reassess their allocations in the market. 

A 13F filing only shows that positions held on the final day of the quarter, but it does not reveal when trades actually occurred. This suggests that Harvard could have sold its position over several weeks or in a single transaction closer to quarter-end.

Spot Ether ETFs reportedly recorded more than $255 million in weekly net outflows. Ethereum has also continued to underperform Bitcoin on a relative basis. BTC price surged by more than 3% over the last 30 days. On the other hand, ETH price dipped by 7% in the same period. Bitcoin is trading at $78,378 at the press time. Ether slipped below the $2,200 mark.

Harvard sells, Mubadala buys

Bitcoin ETF saw a constant demand despite some outflow periods. IBIT still remains the largest spot BTC ETF by assets under management. Last week saw $1 billion flowing out of the Bitcoin ETFs.

While Harvard was reducing positions, other major institutions moved in the opposite direction. Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company increased its IBIT holdings. The fund boosted its position to hit over 14,721,917 shares (approx worth around $566 million). It went up from about 12.7 million shares reported at the end of 2025.

Harvard’s endowment manages nearly $57 billion in assets. However, it has come under leadership transition discussions. N.P. Narvekar, the CEO of Harvard Management Company, has reportedly discussed plans to retire later in 2027.

The next round of SEC filings is due in August. That will likely provide a clearer picture of whether the Q1 sell-off represented a temporary rebalance or there is something else going on.

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