Bank of America Bets BlackRock Bitcoin ETF, Cutting ETH and SOL
Bhumika Baghel
Big Bank Bitcoin Bet: Bank of America’s 13F Filing Signals Confidence
Bank of America holds nearly $53 million in crypto ETFs, according to its Q1 2026 Form 13F filing. The banking giant significantly boosted its position in BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) to roughly $37 million, which equals 972,590 shares. This is a noticeable jump from its prior holding of 719,008 shares. So, why were big banks buying this much crypto, especially BTC?
Source: Official SEC Filing
The news comes from a mid-May 2026 SEC disclosure showing investments held as of March 31, 2026. This data gives us a clear look into how Wall Street Crypto ETFs 2026 trends are playing out.
BofA Crypto Holdings Show Big Bitcoin Bias
The latest Bank of America 13F Crypto data shows that the firm loves Bitcoins. Here is how its specific fund holdings break down:
BlackRock (IBIT): ~$37 million (972,590 shares, up from 719,008).
Bitwise (BITB): ~$8 million.
Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust: ~$3.3 million.
Fidelity (FBTC): ~$1.7 million.
Smaller pieces of cash sit in GBTC, VanEck HODL, and ARK 21Shares (ARKB). This massive BofA BTC ETF collection shows which digital asset the bank trusts the most.
The banking giant does not own these digital coins directly on its balance sheet. Instead, it buys regulated funds to avoid handling the actual tokens. This choice makes trading much safer and easier for the company.
Bank of America Stacks IBIT While Cutting Altcoins
While we see a massive BofA IBIT Boost, the bank is actively cutting back on other tokens.
BlackRock Ethereum Trust (ETHA): Slashed down to ~$1.06 million, leaving the BofA with exactly 67k shares.
Solana and XRP funds: Shrunk down into much smaller holdings, including its stake in Volatility Shares XRP.
This pivot shows that Institutional Bitcoin Adoption 2026 is moving faster than altcoin adoption. BTC is winning the race for traditional finance cash right now.
Many experts view this BTC Buy strategy as a way to avoid risk. BTC acts like digital gold for these big firms. Altcoins still carry too much uncertainty for conservative traditional managers.
Wall Street Shifts Money as Client Demand Explodes
This Bank of America Bitcoin strategy matches what its rivals are doing. In late 2025, the company allowed its 15,000 wealth advisors to suggest a 1-4% BTC ETF allocation to clients. This new 13F report shows that clients are actually taking that advice.
Other giants like Morgan Stanley are offering similar access to crypto funds. However, Goldman Sachs took a different path by trimming its Ethereum holdings recently.
High-net-worth clients want these assets because they hedge against inflation. Buying a BTC-ETF is much easier for them than managing private keys.
What This Means For The Future Of Crypto Markets
These steady Bitcoin Institutional Inflows provide a strong floor for the market. Even though $53 million is small for a multi-trillion-dollar banking giant, the symbolic impact matters.
Right now, Bitcoin trades between $76,000 and $80,000, while Ethereum sits around $2,100 to $2,200. Solana is currently moving between $85 and $95.
The market did not spike on this news, but it proves that big money is here to stay.
More banks will likely follow this path and reveal larger positions later this year. Traditional finance is slowly but surely absorbing the crypto world.
Note: This article is for information purposes only. All the information and facts are based on market present data. The article itself does not claim anything.
