BlackRock Fund Boosts Bitcoin ETF Holdings Amid Rising Institutional Demand

BlackRock’s Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio, one of the firm’s in-house mutual funds, has increased its bitcoin exposure through additional purchases of the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) exchange-traded fund (ETF), according to the latest SEC filing.

The filing shows the portfolio held 2,397,423 IBIT shares valued at $155.8 million as of September 30, up 14% from 2,096,447 shares reported at the end of June.

The Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio is an unconstrained bond fund that invests across government debt, corporate credit, mortgages, emerging markets, and cash-like assets. Its flexible mandate allows the fund to add nontraditional holdings, such as ETFs, when they support total return and diversification objectives. This flexibility enables IBIT to be included alongside traditional fixed-income assets.

IBIT has also drawn attention this week after Nasdaq ISE filed to raise the position limit for IBIT options to one million contracts. Fintel data shows institutional ownership of IBIT has risen steadily, now exceeding 400 million shares—the highest level since the fund’s launch.

Bitcoin (BTC) climbed above $91,000 on Friday, while IBIT rose roughly 2% in premarket trading, trading near $52 per share.