JUST IN: A US State Announces Ownership of a Massive Bitcoin ETF Shares

The Wisconsin State Investment Board (SWIB) reported owning $321.5 million worth of iShares Bitcoin ETF, accounting for 0.82% of its total assets, according to its latest 13F filing.

Founded in 1951, SWIB manages the assets of the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS), State Investment Fund (SIF) and other state trust funds. SWIB has more than $162 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2024.

Last year, Wisconsin’s pension fund made headlines by adding bitcoin exposure to its balance sheet by purchasing over $160 million worth of shares in two newly approved bitcoin ETFs.

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Marquette University Emeritus Professor of Finance David Krause noted the difference between buying BTC directly and investing in Bitcoin ETFs. While Bitcoin can be purchased and stored in a digital wallet, ETFs function similarly to mutual funds, tracking the price of BTC without requiring investors to hold the asset themselves.

“They are traded on exchanges,” Krause explained, “so they have liquidity just like stocks. They are also regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which gives investors confidence that they are not dealing with purchasing an asset directly.”

Despite the large $321.5 million investment in the iShares Bitcoin ETF, Krause noted that this remains a relatively small portion of Wisconsin’s overall pension fund.

*This is not investment advice.

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