UBS Group AG has increased its stake in BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust, according to a new regulatory filing. The Swiss bank's position now totals more than $83 million across 2.5 million shares, and the bank has also built smaller positions in other Bitcoin-linked investments.
Switzerland's largest bank has upped its exposure to Bitcoin, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. UBS now holds more than $83 million across 2.5 million shares of BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust, known as IBIT.
UBS builds a regulated Bitcoin position
The bank disclosed the position in a Form 13F filed with the SEC on Aug. 13. As of June 30, UBS held about 2.5 million IBIT shares, compared with roughly 549,000 shares worth about $27 million at the end of 2025. That marks a 230% rise in the value of the position during the first half of 2026.
IBIT is BlackRock's spot Bitcoin ETF and, according to Bitcoin Magazine, the most successful crypto ETF, with $47.3 billion in assets under management. It lets investors gain exposure to Bitcoin's price without buying, storing or securing the cryptocurrency directly. Since the SEC approved a slew of Bitcoin funds in January 2024, major firms have been able to buy exposure to the asset through shares of the regulated vehicles.
Client demand, not a corporate bet
A 13F filing reports securities managed under a firm's investment discretion; it does not mean UBS used its own corporate money to make the bet. The shares largely reflect client assets held in wealth-management, advisory or asset-management accounts, which suggests the bank is responding to investor demand rather than declaring a firmwide view on Bitcoin. UBS managed a record $7.3 trillion in invested assets at the end of the second quarter, so its IBIT stake remains a small fraction of what the bank oversees.
Other Bitcoin-linked holdings
The filing shows UBS also holds other premium income and Bitcoin-related ETFs, bringing its total crypto ETF holdings to around $90 million. The bank has separately invested in American Bitcoin Corp., the mining company backed by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., with a position worth a little under $1.5 million.
News also emerged earlier this year that UBS was planning to offer Bitcoin trading to a select group of private clients in the country. The bank's next 13F filing will show whether the IBIT position keeps growing.
Sources: Bitcoin Magazine, Bitcoin.com
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