Emory University Doubles Its Bitcoin Investments

Emory University, located in the state of Georgia, USA, caught attention by doubling its Bitcoin investments in the third quarter. By holding over 1 million shares of the Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust, an exchange-traded fund (ETF) for Bitcoin, it once again highlighted the increasing interest of institutional investors in this area.

In the 13F report shared by the university as of September 30, the value of its position in the Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust fund was recorded at approximately 52 million dollars. In the previous quarter, it held just under 500 thousand shares of this fund. This situation demonstrates Emory's aggressive growth in its sales strategy and its appetite for investment in Bitcoin.

Emory University’s interest in Bitcoin began in October 2024 when it entered the Grayscale product. At that time, the value of the position was only around 15 million dollars. During this period, a smaller and unchanged position was maintained in BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF. The value of BlackRock’s ETF remained at approximately 290 thousand dollars.

The university has not only targeted Bitcoin ETFs but also opened a new position worth 79 million dollars in other investment vehicles such as the BlackRock iShares Gold Trust in the third quarter. Additionally, it slightly increased its holdings in cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase (COIN), raising its stake in these shares to 4,500 shares valued at 1.2 million dollars.

Emory University’s aggressive Bitcoin ETF investments are a clear indication of a change in the risk appetite of endowment funds that typically act more cautiously. Although these investments constitute a small portion of the portfolio, the speed and scale of the increase point to institutional investors' growing confidence in Bitcoin through regulated ETF products. This situation stands out as important data indicating the strengthening of the slow but steady acceptance process of Bitcoin among institutional investors.