BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF Smashes $70B Milestone, Becomes Fastest-Growing in History

BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), has surged past $70 billion in assets under management (AUM), becoming the fastest ETF in history to hit that benchmark — a milestone achieved in just 341 days.

The unprecedented growth underscores a seismic shift in institutional interest toward Bitcoin, further validating the cryptocurrency's role in traditional finance. According to ETF analyst Eric Balchunas, IBIT reached the $70 billion mark roughly five times faster than SPDR Gold Shares (GLD), which previously held the record after taking 1,691 trading days to reach the same milestone.

"IBIT just blew through $70b and is now the fastest ETF to ever hit that mark in only 341 days," Balchunas announced via a June 9 post on X (formerly Twitter).

Bitcoin ETF Records Breakneck Growth

Launched in January 2024, IBIT is listed on the Nasdaq and now manages approximately $71.9 billion in assets, with a Bitcoin holding of 661,457 BTC at the time of writing. This makes BlackRock the largest institutional holder of Bitcoin, surpassing Binance (629,190 BTC) and MicroStrategy (582,000 BTC), led by Bitcoin bull Michael Saylor.

Read More:- BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF Snaps 31-Day Inflow Streak With Record $430M Outflow

Source: Eric Balchunas

Despite this rapid accumulation, the top spot still belongs to Bitcoin's enigmatic creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, whose wallets are believed to hold around 1.1 million BTC, accounting for roughly 5.2% of Bitcoin’s fixed 21 million supply.

However, Balchunas predicts that BlackRock could eclipse Nakamoto’s holdings by the end of summer 2025, should the current growth trajectory continue.

IBIT Dominates Among Spot Bitcoin ETFs

Among the 11 spot Bitcoin ETFs launched simultaneously in the U.S. in January 2024, IBIT has consistently outperformed its peers. According to Farside data, the fund has attracted $48.7 billion in net inflows, making it the undisputed leader in the space.

While the ETF ended its 31-day inflow streak with a $430.8 million outflow on May 30, its overall performance remains unmatched in the digital asset sector.

The ETF’s popularity has not gone unnoticed. In April, IBIT was crowned “Best New ETF” at the etf.com annual awards and also secured the Crypto ETP of the Year title.

Read more: BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF Sees $530M Inflow Amid BTC Rally

Bitcoin Price and IBIT Performance

At the time of publication, IBIT shares are trading at $61.77, up 5.3% over the past five days, as Bitcoin hovers around $110,000, per Google Finance. The ETF’s success has been significantly bolstered by Bitcoin’s impressive rally throughout 2025.

IBIT shares spiked 4.24% during the June 9 trading day. Source: Google Finance

Debate Around Institutional Adoption Continues

Despite its accolades, IBIT’s rise reignites debate within the crypto community over institutional involvement. Critics argue that the growing dominance of ETFs could dilute Bitcoin’s original ethos of decentralization and peer-to-peer value exchange.

Nonetheless, some Bitcoin veterans, including Blockstream CEO Adam Back, take a more pragmatic view.

“You have to have some empathy for the people who want to buy Bitcoin, but they don’t know how to do it, and it’s too complicated.”

He does, however, caution against over-centralization: “You also don’t really want 90% of it in ETFs or something because that might start to become a problem.”

Key Takeaways:

• IBIT becomes fastest ETF to hit $70B AUM, reaching the milestone in just 341 days.

• Holds 661,457 BTC, making BlackRock the largest institutional Bitcoin holder.

• Outperformed all other U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, with nearly $49B in net inflows.

• Could surpass Satoshi Nakamoto's Bitcoin holdings by summer 2025.

• Sparks ongoing debate about the balance between accessibility and decentralization in Bitcoin investing.