Goldman Sachs Boosts Spot Bitcoin ETF Holdings To $1.5 Billion As Institutional Interest Grows

Goldman Sachs has unveiled a massive Bitcoin exposure. The banking giant boosted its BTC ETF stash by over 120% in the fourth quarter of 2024. For investors and market observers, the ninth-largest investment bank in the world increasing its Bitcoin ETF holdings is a strong indicator that institutional interest in digital assets is gaining momentum. Goldman Sachs Ups Its Bitcoin ETF Exposure Goldman Sachs has significantly expanded its Bitcoin ETF holdings. According to its latest 13F filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Goldman Sachs now holds $1.57 billion across various Bitcoin ETFs, up 121.1% from the $710 million posted in Q3. The Wall Street giant’s largest exposure lies in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) — the largest spot Bitcoin ETF by assets under management — where it now holds 24.07 million shares worth $1.28 billion, a roughly 177% increase in shares from Q3. The filing also shows Goldman boosting its positions in other leading Bitcoin ETFs. The bank added $288 million worth of shares to Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin ETF (FBTC), marking a 105% rise. Goldman also owns $3.6 million worth of the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC). Ethereum also witnessed a surge in the bank’s portfolio, with the firm increasing its ETH ETF exposure to $476 million, up from $22 million in the previous quarter — a roughly 19-fold growth. The bank now holds $235 million in ETH through Fidelity’s FETH and $236 million through BlackRock’s ETHA, diversifying its crypto portfolio. The boost in Bitcoin and Ethereum exposure is, in part, because of the increase in market prices, as Bitcoin saw a 41% jump, while Ethereum surged 26% from the beginning to the end of the fourth quarter, according to CoinGecko data . Goldman Sachs had previously lambasted Bitcoin and the wider crypto market since 2020, asserting that cryptocurrencies are not an asset class and that they are not a “suitable investment” for its clients. The bank’s recent investment in Bitcoin and Ether ETFs underscores the growing trend of institutional crypto adoption on Wall Street, spurred by an increasingly favorable regulatory backdrop under President Donald Trump’s regime, with promises to support crypto mining and create a national Bitcoin reserve.