Morgan Stanley’s BlackRock Bitcoin ETF holdings rise 23% in Q2
Morgan Stanley increased its crypto exposure in Q2, led by a 23% rise in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) to about 16.5 million shares. Even so, the position’s value fell as Bitcoin weakened. The bank also held 2.57 million shares of its own new Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust, worth about $43.3 million, and boosted other Bitcoin ETF positions, including Grayscale, Bitwise, and Fidelity funds. Ether ETF exposure also expanded sharply, with larger holdings in iShares Ethereum Trust and Grayscale’s Ethereum staking product. Morgan Stanley added new Solana ETF positions and significantly increased its stake in Circle, the USDC issuer. It also raised holdings in several Bitcoin miners and infrastructure firms, while trimming Coinbase, cutting CleanSpark, and fully exiting Bitfarms.
