Abu Dhabi Triples Bitcoin ETF Holdings Amid Market Volatility

Highlights:

• ADIC more than tripled its Bitcoin holdings, now owning nearly eight million IBIT shares.
• Abu Dhabi continues its crypto strategy despite Bitcoin dropping about twenty percent recently.
• Mubadala and other major investors expand digital asset holdings as Abu Dhabi grows as a crypto hub.

The Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC) greatly increased its Bitcoin holdings in the third quarter, more than tripling its stake in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT). Regulatory filings show the council owned almost 8 million IBIT shares by September 30, up from 2.4 million shares three months earlier. At that time, the position was worth about $518 million.

Abu Dhabi Sticks to Bitcoin Strategy Despite Market Drop

A Bloomberg report says ADIC took the position just weeks before Bitcoin hit a record high in early October and then fell below $92,000. Bitcoin’s value has fallen about 20% since the end of September. ADIC did not share its exact purchase price, but Bloomberg shows the ETF’s average price for the quarter was $64.52 per share. 

🇦🇪 ABU DHABI INVESTMENT COUNCIL: "We see Bitcoin playing an increasingly important role alongside gold." – Bloomberg pic.twitter.com/bAXCzeJfUZ

— Bitcoin Archive (@BitcoinArchive) November 19, 2025

Even after the crash, the Abu Dhabi Investment Council said it will continue its plan. A spokesperson told Bloomberg that ADIC sees Bitcoin like gold, as a store of value. They added that as the world becomes more digital, Bitcoin will play an important role alongside gold. Both assets help diversify the fund’s portfolio, and ADIC plans to hold them for both short- and long-term strategies.

Mubadala Holds Stable Bitcoin Position

In a separate statement, Mubadala Investment Co., which oversees ADIC, said it held 8.7 million IBIT shares worth $567 million at the end of Q3. This was the same as its previous report. Other big investors, like Harvard University, also bought more IBIT shares during the same time.

Abu Dhabi Investment Council bought Bitcoin during a strong wave of interest in U.S.-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs. Other major investors, such as Harvard Management Co., also increased their holdings in IBIT at the same time. However, the sector later experienced large withdrawals. In November alone, $3.1 billion left U.S. Bitcoin ETFs, and IBIT recorded a single-day outflow of $523 million.

Abu Dhabi Emerging as Crypto Hub

Market analysts say Abu Dhabi’s Bitcoin investment is important because of its size and the city’s growing role as a crypto finance hub. Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth funds, which manage over $1.7 trillion, have made several moves into the digital asset sector. This activity reflects a wider trend of major financial institutions moving into regulated crypto products. Global companies such as Bybit, Circle, and Tether have also been licensed to operate in Abu Dhabi, showing the city’s push to become a key crypto hub.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is slightly rebounding and trading around $90,670, with $81.23 billion in trading volume over the past 24 hours, according to CoinMarketCap. A crypto analyst named Ali on X said that the SuperTrend indicator, a popular technical tool, is showing a major downturn for Bitcoin.

https://t.co/t6c0IavsNG

— Ali (@ali_charts) November 18, 2025