Harvard is one of the top schools in the United States, home to plenty of famous alumni. Now, according to Fortune, it's also home to a sizable amount of bitcoin.
Filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission show that Harvard has over $442 million in bitcoin, specifically in an ETF issued by BlackRock called iShares Bitcoin Trust.
This type of bitcoin offers cryptocurrency exposure in the form of stock, and this fund was one of the first spot crypto ETFs launched in the United States.
When IBIT went public in 2024, the battle between the SEC and the crypto industry was just winding down, and IBIT marked one of the first opportunities for investment via brokerage accounts rather than crypto exchanges.
Altogether, Harvard's investment in IBIT is more than its other stock investments in companies like Amazon and Microsoft, although the $442 million only accounts for under 1% of the school's $57 billion endowment.
Bitcoin has seen a recent price slump and has risen by only 0.5% or less over the past year, a mere fraction of the 13% increase in the S&P 500.
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However, the industry still had a good year, as major companies and institutions, including Ivy League schools, have increased investment in cryptocurrency in 2025.
Though more and more institutions and companies are investing in cryptocurrency, this industry remains complex. How these investments influence financial markets remains to be seen, but one thing that is certain is crypto's impact on the environment.
Crypto operations require massive amounts of resources, particularly electricity, which can lead to the destabilization of local grids and power outages for local communities.
In fact, according to Energy Star, a single cryptocurrency transaction requires approximately the same amount of electricity as six houses do in a day.
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Definitely 👍 Additionally, increased electricity use releases significantly more heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, leading to a warmer planet.
However, the crypto industry may also positively impact the environment, as renewable energy could power these operations rather than dirty energy. These same crypto operations also have the potential to finance renewable energy initiatives and promote sustainability.
For now, though, top universities' investments in the crypto market lend it credibility. As Fortune reported, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, Eric Balchunas, pointed out on X that the investment by Harvard in IBIT was "as good a validation as an ETF can get."
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