The iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF is not an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and therefore is not subject to the same regulatory requirements as mutual funds or ETFs registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
ISHARES BITCOIN TRUST ETF
IBIT
Introducing IBIT, which gives investors exposure to bitcoin through the convenience and familiarity of an exchange traded product.
IBIT for Bitcoin
-
Unique Asset
Bitcoin's nature as a global, decentralized monetary asset with a finite supply gives it a unique set of risk and return drivers that may offer long-term diversification and growth potential.
-
Convenient Access
ETPs enable advisors to offer easy exposure to bitcoin within existing brokerage and tax-advantaged accounts, simplifying portfolio implementation.
-
Market Leader
IBIT is the world's largest and most traded bitcoin ETP, providing advisors with the liquidity needed to pursue efficient execution and cost-effective client outcomes.2
Sponsor fee: 0.25%
Appeal to the next generation of clients with IBIT
Investor demand continues to drive the growth of cryptoassets. IBIT can help advisors grow their practice and support clients' long-term investment goals.
Re-capture held-away assets
~$800B of cryptoassets sit outside traditional advisory platforms,3 and >50% of retail investors would switch banks or brokers without a credible digital asset offering.4
Navigate the Great Wealth Transfer
Millennials and Gen Z, poised to inherit significant wealth, are 4x more likely than Boomers to own crypto compared to Baby Boomers.5 Additionally, ~83% of Millennial millionaires hold crypto.6
Future-proof your practice
Crypto has grown to a $3T+ asset class in a decade7 - attracting the next generation of investors who may prioritize it over traditional assets.
Bitcoin education
Insights from BlackRock leaders across a three-part video series on bitcoin fundamentals, access through ETPs, and portfolio and practice applications.
Video 03:13
What is Bitcoin?
We've all heard about Bitcoin.
But what exactly is Bitcoin?
Let's start at the beginning.
Around 100,000 years ago. Throughout history, we've used all kinds of objects to help make transactions and store value, from seashells to shiny metals to paper notes. That's because the value isn't just in the object itself, it's in how much we agree the object represents.
So, the object can be many things, even, as it turns out, a string of digital code.
The internet changed everything. It connected the world, changing how we communicate, work, shop and manage finances.
It also opened the door to a new kind of currency and asset. Enter Bitcoin, a digital currency not governed by banks or governments, but by its global community of users. And that provided new potential benefits.
Bitcoin exchanges happen person-to-person, anywhere in the world, in near real time and for near zero transaction costs. Saving money, time and opening financial opportunity to those without access to a banking system.
Bitcoin has a fixed supply of 21 million bitcoins. This hard coded rule controls supply, purchasing power and helps avoid the potential misuse of printing more and more currency, which can contribute towards inflation.
All transactions take place on a digital ledger called the blockchain.
It's a digital platform to move value, where everyone can see every transaction.
Bitcoin is no longer seen as the radical idea it was 15 years ago.
Over 500 million people around the world now use cryptocurrency, with over 50% holding or investing in Bitcoin, making it the most popular cryptocurrency by far.
Some use Bitcoin to transfer value across borders and for purchases. Some see Bitcoin as an investment given its limited supply and uniqueness relative to other financial assets. And for those in certain countries, its value goes far deeper, potentially offering greater financial autonomy by serving as an alternative to local currencies.
Bitcoin is an emerging global monetary alternative. Time will tell how far adoption will go, but next time you see a seashell or shiny metal, think about how humans’ idea of “money” has evolved throughout history.
Discover more
Want to learn more on how to get started with IBIT?
Explore our resources for financial professionals new to cryptocurrency, the importance of bitcoin, and the iShares advantage.
Frequently asked questions
Bitcoin is the largest cryptoasset by market capitalization, representing over 50% of the total crypto market, and the first digital asset to achieve widespread global adoption. Leveraging blockchain technology,8 bitcoin enables peer-to-peer transactions without centralized intermediaries such as banks and is considered a global monetary alternative that is decentralized, non-sovereign, and has a fixed supply.
Investors can purchase bitcoin directly through crypto exchanges or gain exposure through traditional investment vehicles. Direct ownership may involve additional operational and security considerations, while IBIT provides bitcoin exposure through a familiar ETP wrapper that helps remove many of these complexities, offering a more convenient way to access bitcoin exposure within existing brokerage and tax-advantaged accounts.
Bitcoin ETPs are generally available through traditional brokerage platforms, alongside stocks, bonds, and other ETPs.
Bitcoin: Bitcoin is the first and largest cryptoasset by market capitalization, created and transferred using blockchain technology to enable global, near-instantaneous, peer-to-peer transactions without centralized intermediaries such as banks. Bitcoin is the first internet-native monetary instrument to gain broad global adoption.
Digital assets: An umbrella term for assets supported by blockchain technology, including cryptoassets, stablecoins, and tokenized assets.
Cryptoassets, or cryptocurrencies, or crypto: Digitally-native assets issued on a blockchain, relying on blockchain technology to regulate the generation of new units, verify transactions, and secure ownership records without the need for a centralized authority or intermediaries. Bitcoin is the first and largest.
Blockchain: A digital ledger of transactions maintained by a distributed network of computers without a central authority. The core innovation of blockchain technology is the ability to establish trust and ensure data integrity and security through code and cryptography.
Bitcoin could play a role in portfolios as a potential source of diversification and long-term return. As a decentralized, non-sovereign asset with a fixed supply, bitcoin has distinct risk and return drivers that differ from traditional assets, resulting in relatively low long-term correlation despite occasional short-term spikes. While volatility remains elevated, it has trended lower as bitcoin has matured.9 For investors who believe in continued adoption and can tolerate near-term volatility, a modest allocation may enhance diversification and improve risk-adjusted returns over a longer investment horizon. Investors should ultimately consult with a financial professional to determine if an allocation to bitcoin aligns with their investment goals.
Bitcoin, whether held directly or via IBIT, is treated as property and taxed at short-term or long-term capital gains rates when sold, depending on the holding period. IBIT does not issue a K‑1.
Investors should consult a tax or financial professional for more information on how they may be impacted by relevant tax laws.10
IBIT prospectus
Investments
Insights
Retirement
Tools
Resources
About Us
1. Nakamoto, S. (2008), Bitcoin: A peer-to-peer electronic cash system, https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf.
2. Based on 20-day average trading volume; high liquidity, characterized by strong trading volume, may potentially lower costs for investors by helping to improve price discovery, reduce transaction costs, and increase market stability. Source: Bloomberg, as of Dec. 31, 2025.
3. Determined by subtracting estimated government holdings, institutional holdings, fund-managed AUM, stablecoin assets, and estimated lost cryptoassets from total cryptoasset market capitalization. Source: CoinGecko and BlackRock calculations, as of Dec. 31, 2025.
4. PwC Strategy&, Crypto Survey 2023.
5. Policygenius, 2024 Financial Planning Survey.
6. CNBC via Spectrem Group, as of Dec. 2021.
7. CoinGecko, as of Dec. 31, 2025.
8. Based on bitcoin’s market cap of $1.8T, which accounts for greater than 50% of the total market cap of all cryptoassets (excluding stablecoins and wrapped assets). Source: CoinGecko, as of Dec. 31, 2025.
9. Based on bitcoin’s 1-year trailing volatility of 43%. Source: Bloomberg Bitcoin Spot Price and BlackRock calculations, as of Dec. 31, 2025.
10. IRS, irs.gov.
This information must be accompanied or preceded by a current iShares Ethereum Trust ETF prospectus and iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF Prospectus. Please read the prospectuses carefully before investing.
The iShares Trusts are not investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and therefore are not subject to the same regulatory requirements as mutual funds or ETFs registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Investments in these products are speculative and involve a high degree of risk. The Trust is not a commodity pool for purposes of the Commodity Exchange Act. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the risk factors and other information included in the prospectus.
Investing involves a high degree of risk, including possible loss of principal. An investment in the Trust is not suitable for all investors, may be deemed speculative and is not intended as a complete investment program. An investment in Shares should be considered only by persons who can bear the risk of total loss associated with an investment in the Trust.
Investing in digital assets involves significant risks due to their extreme price volatility and the potential for loss, theft, or compromise of private keys. The value of the shares is closely tied to acceptance, industry developments, and governance changes, making them susceptible to market sentiment. Digital assets represent a new and rapidly evolving industry, and the value of the Shares depends on their acceptance. Changes in the governance of a digital asset network may not receive sufficient support from users and miners, which may negatively affect that digital asset network’s ability to grow and respond to challenges Investing in the Trust comes with risks that could impact the Trust's share value, including large-scale sales by major investors, security threats like breaches and hacking, negative sentiment among speculators, and competition from central bank digital currencies and financial initiatives using blockchain technology. A disruption of the internet or a digital asset network would affect the ability to transfer digital assets and, consequently, would impact their value. There can be no assurance that security procedures designed to protect the Trust’s assets will actually work as designed or prove to be successful in safeguarding the Trust’s assets against all possible sources of theft, loss or damage.
The Trust may incur certain extraordinary, non-recurring expenses that are not assumed by the Sponsor.
Shares of the Trust are not deposits or other obligations of or guaranteed by BlackRock, Inc., and its affiliates, and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency. The sponsor of the trust is iShares Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”). The iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (the “Trust”) is not sponsored, endorsed, issued, sold or promoted by Stiftung Ethereum (the "Ethereum Foundation"), nor does the Ethereum Foundation make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Trust. BlackRock is not affiliated with the Ethereum Foundation. Ethereum Marks are owned by the Ethereum Foundation, used under license. BlackRock Investments, LLC ("BRIL"), assists in the promotion of the Trust. The Sponsor and BRIL are affiliates of BlackRock, Inc. Although shares of the iShares Bitcoin Trust may be bought or sold on the secondary market through any brokerage account, shares of the Trust are not redeemable from the Trust except in large, aggregated units called "Baskets". Only registered broker-dealers that become authorized participants by entering into a contract with the sponsor and the trustee of the Trust may purchase or redeem Baskets. The Sponsor is not responsible for losses incurred due to loss, theft, destruction, or compromise of the trust's bitcoin.
Investment comparisons are for illustrative purposes only. To better understand the similarities and differences between investments, including investment objectives, risks, fees and expenses, it is important to read the products' prospectuses.
This material is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. The information contained herein is based on current tax laws, which may change in the future. BlackRock cannot be held responsible for any direct or incidental loss resulting from applying any of the information provided in this publication or from any other source mentioned. The information provided in this material does not constitute any specific legal, tax or accounting advice. Please consult with qualified professionals for this type of advice.
©2026 BlackRock, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. ALADDIN, BLACKROCK and iSHARES are trademarks of BlackRock, Inc., or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
MKTG0226-5256814-EXP0227