Bitcoin Tops $77k as Bank of America Increases Crypto Holdings
Bitcoin (BTC) price increased by more than 1% over the past 24 hours to $77,080.93, slightly outperforming a broadly flat market, primarily driven by a repricing of geopolitical risk.
BTC’s gain was driven by investor optimism following Bank of America’s disclosure of higher crypto holdings. Bank of America has increased its exposure to spot Bitcoin ETFs, tilting its crypto bets more toward Bitcoin than Ethereum or Solana.
In its Q1 2026 13F, Bank of America reported nearly $53 million in crypto ETF holdings, led by BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) at about $37.3 million (972,590 shares), up from 719,008 shares the prior quarter. This is detailed in its Q1 2026 13F filing recap.
The bank also holds smaller stakes in other spot Bitcoin products, such as Bitwise’s BITB, Fidelity’s FBTC, and Grayscale’s vehicles, as well as modest positions in ETH, SOL, and XRP ETFs.
Separately, it owns roughly 3.96 million shares of MicroStrategy, which provides substantial indirect exposure to Bitcoin, according to a broader positioning overview.
In size, this is a small line item for a giant bank, but it is a clear, disclosed allocation into regulated Bitcoin vehicles rather than only traditional assets.
The same filing shows that Bank of America is trimming its exposure to Ether and Solana. It holds about $1.06 million in BlackRock’s ETHA and has reduced its position in a leveraged Solana ETF, while keeping only a small stake in a standard SOL ETF, with XRP ETF exposure also small and unchanged.
Together, that means the vast majority of its crypto ETF book is now Bitcoin-focused, with non-BTC products a side bet. This matches a broader pattern in which large investors favour the deepest, most liquid asset and use BTC products as the primary way to get regulated digital asset exposure.
Across the market, spot Bitcoin ETFs collectively hold about $106.23 billion in assets, up roughly 1.96 per cent over the past month, even after bouts of outflows and volatility.
Bank of America’s tens of millions are therefore a tiny fraction of the total BTC ETF stack, but add to a growing list of big banks and institutions, such as Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley, that hold IBIT or similar funds.
The key forward indicators are weekly ETF flows, total ETF assets, and whether more banks disclose first-time or larger BTC ETF stakes in upcoming 13F rounds.
Crypto analysts said that if more banks follow with similar filings and overall BTC ETF assets continue to trend higher, it would strengthen Bitcoin’s role as the default institutional gateway into crypto, even in choppy markets. BTCUSD Inches Near $77k as Bitcoin Liquidations Ease by 67%
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