BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, has resumed aggressive accumulation of Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), attracting approximately $780 million into its spot crypto ETFs from April 6 to 10. According to SoSoValue, the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) brought in roughly $612 million, while the iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) added about $168 million. This institutional buying requires custodians to purchase equivalent amounts of the underlying assets, with Coinbase Custody holding the BTC and ETH. Following these inflows, BlackRock's ETF holdings increased to $56.8 billion in Bitcoin (791,284 BTC) and $6.92 billion in Ethereum (3,008,094 ETH).
The institutional demand wave extended beyond ETFs. MicroStrategy, founded by Michael Saylor, announced on April 13 the purchase of an additional 13,927 BTC for approximately $1 billion, bringing its total holdings to 780,897 BTC valued at around $59.02 billion. This underscores a broader trend of corporate and whale accumulation despite market volatility.
In a parallel development, Goldman Sachs has filed to launch a Bitcoin Premium Income ETF, signaling a major shift for the investment bank which has historically been skeptical of digital assets. This move follows Morgan Stanley's recent launch of its own Bitcoin ETF. The competitive landscape is intensifying, as evidenced by U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recording $411.5 million in net inflows on a single Tuesday in April, the second-largest daily intake for the month. BlackRock's IBIT led that day with $214 million.
The inflows have pushed total net flows for 2026 back into positive territory at about $245 million year-to-date, with total assets under management across these funds surging above $96.5 billion. Cumulative inflows since the ETFs' introduction in January 2024 now stand at $56.45 billion. The positive sentiment also extended to altcoin ETFs, with spot Ether funds seeing $53 million in inflows and XRP-linked funds adding $11 million. Bitcoin's price briefly breached $75,000 during this period.
