• ADIC nearly tripled its Bitcoin holdings through BlackRock’s spot fund during Q3 2025.
• Analysts see ADIC’s move as a sign of rising institutional interest in UAE crypto markets.
• Bitcoin volatility impacted IBIT, with the ETF dropping 23% after reaching a recent high.

The Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC) showed significant growth in its investment in Bitcoin during the third quarter of the year, having nearly tripled its stake through BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin fund, as reported recently.

Analysts have viewed this step as an indication of rising institutional interest in crypto investments within the United Arab Emirates market. According to a statement to Bloomberg on Wednesday by ADIC, which is operated by Mubadala Investment Company, Bitcoin is equivalent to gold but in digital form.

This investment was made by the council at a time when Bitcoin was experiencing turmoil. The third quarter ended just a few days before Bitcoin reached its historic high of $125,100 on October 5, but retreated below $90,000 earlier this week.

ADIC Triples IBIT Bitcoin Holdings

According to Bloomberg, at the beginning of Q3, ADIC held 2.4 million shares of IBIT but saw its holdings rise to nearly 8 million as of September 30, putting its value at around $520 million. IBIT finished the quarter at $65 per share but hit $71 on October 6, one day after Bitcoin hit its historic high.

However, Bitcoin’s recent slump below $100,000 also impacted IBIT negatively. The ETF ended Wednesday’s trading at $50.71, down 23% from the end of the third quarter. IBIT’s stock price is down 19.39% over the past 30 days.

This move is also being viewed as a very positive sign for institutional adoption of digital assets despite this slight correction. According to comments shared by Zayed Aleem, manager at crypto investment platform M2 Treasury, on his LinkedIn post: “Fantastic to see such institutional conviction and another strong signal that the UAE is securing its place as a global hub for digital assets.”

Crypto analyst MartyParty further added: “This is clearly a nod to Bitcoin being viewed as a store of value asset and reflects a strategic outlook on its role within portfolios moving forward.”

This is just one day after IBIT saw its highest daily outflows at $523.2 million since its launch in January 2024, according to Farside, during Bitcoin’s brief dip to $88,000. At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading at $92,092.

Also Read | Bitcoin Faces New Local Low at $89K as Market Sentiment Turns Bearish

Bitcoin ETF Struggles Amid Volatility

ETF analyst Eric Balchunas described “the current performance of IBIT ‘an ugly stretch,’ pointing out that while year-to-date flows have been robust at +$25 billion overall, total outflows from Bitcoin ETFs in the past month have hit $3.3 billion or around 3.5% of total assets under management.”

Since its initial launch in January 2024, IBIT has reported cumulative net inflows of approximately $63.12 million based on Farside data.

However, analysts are still split on what Bitcoin should do for the remainder of the month/year. A Bitcoin analyst named VICTOR recently said of the market: “We are in the close your eyes and bid type of range.”

Also Read | New Hampshire Approves First $100M Bitcoin-Backed Municipal Bond