- The Abu Dhabi Investment Council tripled its BlackRock Bitcoin ETF holdings in Q3.
- Together with parent company Mubadala, the sovereign funds hold over $1 billion in IBIT.
- This accumulation aligns with global sovereign moves, including El Salvador’s recent $100M buy.
Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth arm has tripled its exposure to Bitcoin. Regulatory filings reveal the Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC) significantly increased its stake in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) during the third quarter.
Additionally, the move signaled rising confidence from Middle Eastern wealth funds seeking broader diversification while global investors reassessed risk after the October downturn.
The $1 Billion Bet: Inside Abu Dhabi’s Bitcoin Portfolio
Bloomberg data showed the council increased its stake from 2.4 million shares in the previous quarter. The position carried an estimated value of $518 million at the end of September.
Mubadala, the parent investment company, also held 8.7 million IBIT shares valued at $567 million during the same period. The steady accumulation placed Abu Dhabi among the most active institutional buyers in the ETF segment.
Related: Abu Dhabi Raises Penalties to Dh100,000 for Farms Hosting Crypto Mining
However, sentiment shifted sharply after Bitcoin fell below a key support level in early November. Consequently, spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded nearly $3.1 billion in outflows this month.
IBIT alone saw more than $523 million leave in a single session. The reversal suggested growing caution among short-term ETF traders who entered during Bitcoin’s record-setting rally in early October.
Strategic Shift: From Binance Stakes to ‘Digital Gold’
Abu Dhabi’s recent activity aligned with an expanding ambition to build a major presence in global digital-asset markets. The emirate manages more than $1.7 trillion across several wealth funds, and its leadership views Bitcoin as a long-term strategic asset.
Moreover, MGX, a Mubadala-backed tech investor, recently secured a $2 billion position in Binance using a stablecoin tied to the Trump family.
Inside ADIC, senior leadership changes also supported the global expansion plan. The council added executives with experience in North American and Australian pension systems. Their arrival strengthened internal research capabilities and improved risk oversight across digital-asset portfolios.
The Sovereign Trend: El Salvador and Czech Republic Buy In
Other governments moved in similar directions. El Salvador added more than $100 million in Bitcoin this week. The Czech central bank entered the market for the first time.
Kazakhstan also advanced a national crypto reserve plan that could grow to $1 billion. These developments suggested rising sovereign interest in digital reserves as geopolitical uncertainty persisted.
Related: First Abu Dhabi Bank to Issue MENA’s First Digital Bond on ADX
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Source: https://coinedition.com/abu-dhabi-fund-triples-bitcoin-exposure-to-500m-ahead-of-market-dip/