Harvard Endowment Halts Bitcoin ETF Selling, Holds Position Steady for First Time in Two Quarters

Harvard Management Company, which manages Harvard University's endowment, kept its holdings in BlackRock's spot bitcoin ETF "iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT)" unchanged from the previous quarter during the second quarter of 2026 (April–June), according to public documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and disclosed by August 18.

The endowment had reduced its IBIT holdings by 21% in the fourth quarter of 2025 and by 43% in the first quarter of 2026, marking two consecutive quarters of selling. The latest disclosure shows that this selling trend has now come to a halt, suggesting a potential shift in institutional investors' stance toward bitcoin ETF holdings.

Holdings Breakdown and Valuation Trends

According to the 13F filing submitted by Harvard Management Company, IBIT holdings stood at 3,044,612 shares as of June 30, 2026, unchanged from the end of March. However, due to price declines during the period, the valuation fell by approximately $15.6 million from the previous quarter to roughly $101.4 million.

Among the 19 securities reported, IBIT ranked 11th by valuation, accounting for approximately 2.4% of the total disclosed portfolio of about $4.263 billion. No new purchases of the Ethereum spot ETF—which had been fully liquidated in prior quarters—were confirmed during this quarter.