Гарвард исследует новые горизонты: сокращение Биткоина и вложения в Ethereum Harvard Explores New Horizons: Bitcoin Cutback and Investments in Ethereum

The management company of Harvard University has divested over 20% of its shares in a Bitcoin ETF during the fourth quarter. Concurrently, the fund made its initial investment in an exchange-traded product based on Ethereum.

As of December 31, the university held 5.35 million shares of BlackRock’s IBIT, valued at $265.8 million. For the quarter, the institution reduced its position by 1.48 million shares.

Despite this partial sale, the Bitcoin trust remains the largest publicly traded asset in Harvard’s portfolio, surpassing its stakes in tech giants such as Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon.

Additionally, the university acquired 3.87 million shares of iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) for a total of $86.8 million. The total valuation of the fund’s crypto assets reached $352.6 million.

Harvard’s crypto strategy has drawn criticism from the academic community. Finance professors from the University of Washington and UCLA described the investments as risky, citing the «lack of intrinsic value» of the assets and the decline in their prices.

Harvard’s actions reflect a broader market trend. According to CoinShares, the outflow of funds from crypto products has continued for four consecutive weeks. In the previous week, investors withdrew $173 million, with the bulk of the sales coming from the U.S. ($403 million).

Regional data indicates a divergence in sentiment: funds in Germany, Canada, and Switzerland reported net inflows.

At the same time, demand for altcoins has risen — inflows into XRP and Solana amounted to $33.4 million and $31 million, respectively.

It is worth noting that from January 17 to 23, cryptocurrency investment products saw an outflow of $1.73 billion.