Barclays Adds 48% More IBIT Shares as Citi Discloses a $119 Million FBTC Position

What happened: Barclays reported 3.94 million shares of BlackRock's IBIT, valued at approximately $187 million, as of September 30. Its share count increased 48% from 2.66 million at June 30, when the position was valued at $88.5 million. Citigroup separately disclosed a new position worth approximately $119 million in Fidelity's FBTC, adding another bank disclosure to the quarterly picture.

Why it matters: Barclays' larger share count provides evidence of accumulation beyond a simple increase in market value: IBIT's price also rose approximately 41% during the quarter. Across the reported institutional sample, spot Bitcoin ETF holdings increased from $3.35 billion to $5.25 billion, although that aggregate value change should not be read entirely as fresh investment. These filings also describe positions at September 30, so they establish historical exposure rather than confirming what Barclays, Citigroup or other filers hold today.

Source: Cointelegraph