Bitcoin ETFs see 14% growth in institutional interest during Q2 despite downturn

Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan highlighted a notable increase in institutional investments in Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) during the second quarter despite BTC value declining 12% over the three months.

Hougan highlighted the increased interest in his latest Aug. 20 note to investors, where he stated:

“Bitcoin’s price fell 12% in Q2 2024 and many wondered if that would spook institutions out of the market. The answer was a resounding ‘no.’”

Historic adoption rate

Hougan emphasized that institutional adoption of Bitcoin ETFs is occurring at an unprecedented pace.

According to him, the number of institutional investors holding Bitcoin ETFs grew by 14% quarter-over-quarter, rising to 1,100 from 965. These investors now control 21.15% of the total assets under management (AUM) in Bitcoin ETFs, up from 18.74%. By the end of Q2, institutional holdings in Bitcoin ETFs totaled $11 billion.

Despite 112 investors exiting their Bitcoin ETF positions during Q2, 247 new firms entered the market, resulting in a net addition of 135 institutional investors.

Hougan noted that the level of adoption of Bitcoin ETFs is comparable to the early growth of Invesco’s QQQ ETF, which launched in March 1999. Notably, the BTC ETFs have attracted 3x as many institutional buyers within just two quarters.

Hougan addressed concerns about comparing Bitcoin ETFs as a group to individual ETFs, stating that individual Bitcoin ETFs still dominate. For example, Bitwise’s Bitcoin ETF — ranked fourth by AUM at the end of June — had more institutional holders (139) than SPDR’s GLD ETF (118) at the same stage in its development.

Considering these numbers, Hougan concluded:

“We shouldn’t let the historic adoption of Bitcoin ETFs by retail investors obscure the fact that they are also gaining institutional traction faster than any other ETF in history.”

Portfolio expansion

The Bitwise CIO predicted that institutional exposure to the flagship digital asset would increase over the years.

According to him, while the median institutional investor currently allocates only 0.47% of their portfolio to Bitcoin, this figure could exceed 1% within a year. He explained that professional investors tend to gradually increase their crypto exposure, often starting with 1% or less but eventually raising it to 2.5% or even 5% over time.

Hougan added:

“Year 1 can be a challenge, but momentum tends to build into Years 2, 3, 4, and 5. I expect the same thing to happen here.”

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