Morgan Stanley Invests $187M in BlackRock’s Spot Bitcoin ETF

Morgan Stanley yesterday revealed in its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it holds a considerable amount of shares in BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF.

As of June 30, the bank disclosed its ownership of over 5.5 million shares, equivalent to $187.79 million, of the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) – placing it among the top five shareholders of the ETF.

The bank also revealed its ownership of 26,222 shares of the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB), which is worth about $1.57 million.

This is slightly lower than the $2.3 million it declared in the previous quarter. Interestingly, the latest filing also showed that Morgan Stanley has sold off most of its shares in the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC).

It now holds only around $148,000 worth of shares, a significant reduction from the $269.9 million it held in the previous quarter.