UBS Bank triples Bitcoin ETF position to $90 million, IBIT stake reaches 2.5 million shares

UBS Group AG has tripled its stake in BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust to about 2.5 million shares worth roughly $90 million, marking a sharp increase from earlier filings and underscoring growing bank participation in spot Bitcoin ETFs. The bank began with 3,600 IBIT shares worth less than $150,000 in the first quarter of 2024, expanded that position to 548,614 shares valued at about $27.2 million by Dec. 31, 2025, and later reported 364,000 shares worth $14 million as of May 2026 before the latest jump. The increase comes as institutional ownership of IBIT remained broad, with 1,560 organizations collectively holding more than $27 billion of the fund in the first quarter of 2026. The update also fits a wider pattern in which some hedge funds reduced Bitcoin ETF exposure during that quarter while banks were increasing positions. UBS has also been widening client access to IBIT and similar products through its wealth management business, suggesting both proprietary exposure and client-facilitation activity are expanding.