Harvard University’s $50 billion-plus endowment has taken a sizeable position in Bitcoin via BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT). A Form 13F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shows Harvard Management Company owned about 1.906 million IBIT shares valued at roughly $116.7 million on 30 June, making the Ivy League school the 29th-largest holder of the fund among some 1,300 investors. The stake exceeds Harvard’s contemporaneous holding in Alphabet Inc. and underscores a shift in the endowment’s allocation toward digital-asset exposure. Brown University also increased its exposure, more than doubling its IBIT position to 212,500 shares worth about $13 million, according to a separate SEC filing. The Providence-based institution first bought the ETF in the second quarter and has now twice the amount it held in March. The twin disclosures mark a notable endorsement of spot-Bitcoin exchange-traded funds by U.S. university endowments, among the most conservative institutional investors. Since the Securities and Exchange Commission approved such products in January 2024, BlackRock’s IBIT has amassed roughly $86 billion in assets, attracting pension funds, state investment boards and now leading academic institutions seeking regulated avenues to the world’s largest cryptocurrency.