Harvard Management Company cut its Bitcoin ETF position by 43% and fully exited its Ethereum ETF during the first quarter of 2026.
Author: Sahil Thakur
Steady attention without excessive speculation.
17th May 2026 – Harvard Management Company cut its Bitcoin ETF position by 43% and fully exited its Ethereum ETF during the first quarter of 2026, according to a new SEC filing.
High Signal Summary For A Quick Glance
The changes appeared in HMC’s Form 13F-HR filed around May 14, 2026. The filing covers the quarter ended March 31, 2026. It reveals that Harvard sold approximately 2.3 million shares of BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) and dumped its entire iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) stake.
As of December 31, 2025, HMC held 5,353,612 IBIT shares valued at roughly $266 million. By March 31, 2026, that position had shrunk to 3,044,612 shares worth $116.97 million.
The 43% share reduction translated into a 56% decline in dollar value. Part of that gap reflects Bitcoin’s price dropping during Q1 alongside the share sales.
IBIT is no longer HMC’s largest publicly disclosed equity holding. It had held that distinction since Q3 2025, when Harvard tripled its exposure to approximately $443 million.
Harvard also eliminated its entire ETHA position. HMC initiated the Ethereum ETF stake in Q4 2025, purchasing roughly 3.87 million shares worth about $87 million.
As of March 31, 2026, zero ETHA shares remained in the portfolio. The filing lists no Ethereum ETF exposure at all.
Combined, Harvard’s crypto ETF exposure fell from roughly $353 million to $117 million in a single quarter. That represents a 67% reduction in dollar terms.
Harvard’s crypto ETF journey has been volatile. HMC first disclosed an IBIT position in Q2 2025 at around $116 million. It then tripled that stake to $443 million in Q3 2025.
The pullback started in Q4 2025 with a 21% trim. The Q1 2026 cut of 43% accelerated the trend. The ETHA position lasted only one quarter before HMC abandoned it entirely.
According to WhaleWisdom data, HMC’s peak crypto ETF allocation reached nearly $530 million in Q3 2025. It now sits at under $117 million.
HMC has not issued any public comment on the changes. This is standard practice. Form 13F filings are regulatory disclosures that rarely come with explanations.
The reason for the reduction remains unknown. Possible explanations include routine portfolio rebalancing, risk reduction amid crypto volatility, or a strategic shift toward other asset classes.
Importantly, 13F filings only show long equity positions. They do not reveal whether Harvard holds Bitcoin directly, uses derivatives, or has shifted to private crypto funds.
Harvard’s retreat contrasts with moves by other institutional players during the same period. Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala sovereign wealth fund increased its IBIT position in Q1 2026.
Dartmouth College recently added a Solana staking ETF to its portfolio and maintained its crypto allocations. Brown University continued holding blockchain-related ETFs.
The divergence suggests there is no single institutional consensus on crypto ETF positioning right now. Some are reducing exposure while others are building it.
Harvard’s filing landed during a period of broader Bitcoin ETF stress. On May 13, 2026, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded approximately $635 million in net outflows. IBIT alone accounted for about $285 million of that figure, according to CoinGlass data.
Ethereum ETFs saw roughly $36 million in outflows the same day. Bitcoin traded in the $78,000 to $80,000 range in mid-May 2026, reflecting ongoing price volatility.
The actual sales by Harvard occurred during Q1, not at the time of filing. 13F reports carry a lag of approximately 45 days between quarter-end and disclosure.
Crypto social media responded quickly after Coin Bureau flagged the filing on May 16. Dominant reactions on X included “buy high, sell low” jokes and accusations of weak conviction.
Others pointed out that Harvard still holds over $117 million in IBIT. The endowment manages $56.9 billion in total assets, making the remaining Bitcoin ETF position roughly 0.2% of the portfolio.
Some analysts argued the move reflects normal rebalancing rather than a bearish signal. They noted that endowments routinely rotate positions and that one quarter of selling does not indicate a permanent exit.
Harvard’s next 13F filing, covering Q2 2026, will reveal whether the trend continued or reversed. The filing is expected around mid-August 2026.
For now, the world’s largest university endowment retains meaningful Bitcoin ETF exposure. But its trajectory points clearly downward since the Q3 2025 peak. Whether that reflects conviction fading or routine portfolio management remains an open question.
This is not financial advice. Institutional 13F filings reflect past decisions, not forward guidance.
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