Millennium Management holds nearly $2 billion in spot bitcoin ETF shares

Quick Take

  • As of March 31, Millennium Management held a combined $1.94 billion in shares of five spot bitcoin ETFs, according to its latest filing with regulators.   
  • The hedge fund held roughly $844 million worth of shares in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), marking its largest spot bitcoin ETF allocation.  

Hedge Fund Millennium Management has poured nearly $2 billion in bitcoin ETFs as of the first financial quarter. 

Millennium Management on March 31 held $1.94 billion in shares of spot bitcoin ETFs, spread out across five funds: ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB), Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB), Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) and Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin ETF (FBTC). However, the fair market value of those shares made up just 3% of the hedge fund's $64 billion in assets under management, according to its quarterly 13F filing with U.S. securities regulators.

The fund, founded and helmed by Wall Street legend Israel Englander, held roughly $844 million in BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) — its largest spot bitcoin ETF allocation — as of the three-month period ending in March. It also held a more than $800 million stake in the Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC), as well as roughly $202 million worth of shares of Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), and roughly $45 million worth of shares in both ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB) ARKB and Bitwise Bitcoin ETF Trust (BITB).

THE SCOOP

Keep up with the latest news, trends, charts and views on crypto and DeFi with a new biweekly newsletter from The Block's Frank Chaparro

By signing-up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
By signing-up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Millennium Management is one of several investment firms to embrace spot bitcoin ETFs, as institutional investors flock to the crypto-based funds. Other notable investors in the funds include Apollo Management and Elliott Capital. 


Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.

© 2023 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

About Author

Elizabeth Napolitano is a data reporter covering business and technology news, with a focus on cryptocurrencies. Prior to joining The Block, Elizabeth reported on BigTech, AI, crypto and videogames for CBS Moneywatch. As a CoinDesk reporter, she covered DeFi, NFTs and U.S. courts. She holds an MA in Journalism from CUNY. Follow her on X: @LizKNapolitano

Editor

To contact the editor of this story:
Lawrence Lewitinn at
[email protected]