LPL Financial grew its spot Bitcoin ETF holdings by 50% in the third quarter, bringing the position to $261 million. Creative Planning reported a 43% increase over the same period. The firm's 13F filing confirms the exposure but does not necessarily show who chose it.
LPL Financial grew its spot Bitcoin ETF holdings by 50% in the third quarter, lifting the position to $261 million. The figure comes from the firm's 13F filing for the quarter ending September 30. LPL is one of the biggest independent broker-dealers in the US.
What the filing shows
The filing lists US spot Bitcoin ETF holdings worth $261 million, up 50% from the prior quarter. A spot Bitcoin ETF holds actual Bitcoin and lets investors gain exposure through an ordinary brokerage account, with no crypto exchange or hardware wallet needed.
Earlier filings show LPL adding step by step to products including the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB) and the Franklin Bitcoin ETF (EZBC). The latest filing also disclosed a separate $112 million position tied to what the source describes as Saylor's Strategy, which sits outside the ETF bucket.
However, 13F data carries a caveat. Holdings at a broker-dealer like LPL can reflect client accounts and advisor decisions, not just a house view. The filing confirms the exposure exists, but it does not necessarily show who chose it or why.
A small slice of a large firm
As of September 30, LPL managed approximately $2.56 trillion in total client assets, with advisory assets around $1.561 trillion of that total. Against that backdrop, $261 million is a small slice.
The firm also serves around 32,600 financial advisors. Each one is a potential channel for client conversations about crypto exposure, and the ETF wrapper makes those conversations easier inside a traditional compliance framework.
Other wealth managers add exposure too
LPL is not alone. Creative Planning, another large wealth manager, reported a 43% increase in its Bitcoin ETF holdings during the same quarter. The third-quarter 13F filings broadly revealed rising exposure to Bitcoin ETFs among wealth management firms.
Before these products, an advisor who wanted to give a client Bitcoin exposure had to deal with custody, exchange accounts and operational awkwardness. A 50% increase from a small base is still a small allocation, and quarterly 13F snapshots lag reality, so positions may already have changed.
Source: Crypto Briefing
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