Abu Dhabi Boosts Bitcoin Portfolio: Tripling IBIT Shares Before Huge Rally
Key Takes:
- The Abu Dhabi Investment Council raised its stake in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) from about 2.4 million to 8 million shares.
- By the end of the third quarter of 2025, this move had made their holdings worth almost $518 million.
- It happened just before Bitcoin hit a new high of $126,000 in early October, but prices later fell below $90,000.
The Abu Dhabi Investment Council made a big move into Bitcoin in the third quarter of 2025. They bought more than three times as much of BlackRock’s IBIT ETF, which follows the price of Bitcoin. This fund lets big investors buy into Bitcoin without having to keep the coins themselves.
The council had about 2.4 million shares to begin with. At the end of the quarter, they had 8 million. That raised the price to $518 million. During that time, the price of IBIT went up 6.2%, closing at $65 per share before going up even more.
Bitcoin was doing great before October 2025, when it hit an all-time high of $126,000. But in November, it dropped sharply below $90,000 because the market was volatile. The council’s increase happened before this crazy ride, which shows they believed in the long-term value of Bitcoin.
Abu Dhabi has been here before. Other funds, like Mubadala, have also bought a lot of IBIT, holding millions of shares earlier this year. It shows that the UAE is becoming more interested in cryptocurrencies as a way to spread out large amounts of money.
