Harvard Bets Big on Bitcoin While Japan Hits the Brakes! 🚦💰

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Key Takeaways

Well, well, well! It seems that Bitcoin’s recent jaunt up the price ladder is less about folks rushing to buy and more about a scarcity of sellers. Harvard, that venerable institution of higher learning, has tossed a cool $116 million into the Bitcoin ETF pot, adding a hefty dose of institutional muscle, while Japan, bless its heart, is still twiddling its thumbs over regulatory red tape before launching its first crypto ETF.

Now, Bitcoin’s [BTC] little rally this week might be more akin to a game of musical chairs, where the music stops and there are fewer chairs than players. The supply on Binance is dwindling, and that could lead to some wild price swings ahead. Hold onto your hats, folks! 🎩

Institutional sentiment is doing the cha-cha across the globe. In the good ol’ U.S. of A., Harvard University has quietly slipped $116 million into Bitcoin ETFs, while over in Japan, they’re still waiting for the green light to launch their first crypto ETF, thanks to some regulatory hurdles that seem to be taller than a giraffe on stilts.

Supply squeeze drives Bitcoin higher

According to the wise folks at CryptoQuant, Bitcoin’s latest leap on Binance is being fueled more by a lack of supply than by a stampede of new buyers. It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack, only the haystack is getting smaller!

Between March and May, we saw some wild spikes in Taker Volume, signaling that liquidity was flowing in like a river after a rainstorm, especially after April’s dip to $75K. But lo and behold, those peaks have shrunk since June, even as prices hit record highs, suggesting that fewer folks are feeling aggressive about buying. 🐢

Limit Order Volume is also playing hard to get, reflecting a distinct lack of sellers at current prices. The thin order book could send prices soaring if supply stays tight, but it also leaves the market as vulnerable as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs if a big sell order comes crashing in.

Harvard’s $116M Bitcoin ETF dive

This tightening supply comes as fresh signs of institutional confidence emerge, like a daisy poking through the snow. SEC filings for Q2 2025 reveal that Harvard University has allocated $116.6 million to BlackRock’s IBIT Bitcoin ETF, making it the university’s fifth-largest equity holding, right ahead of Alphabet. Who knew they were so fond of digital gold?

While Harvard’s portfolio boasts heavyweights like Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon, IBIT stands out as its only direct Web3 exposure. It’s like the odd duck in a pond full of swans!

This move comes despite a rather lackluster July for Bitcoin ETFs, when inflows were as scarce as hen’s teeth, and BlackRock’s Ethereum fund briefly outpaced IBIT. But fear not, dear traders! As Binance’s order books thin out, it seems that institutional players are still willing to roll the dice.

Japan’s first crypto ETF still on hold

While U.S. institutions like Harvard are charging ahead like a bull in a china shop, Japan’s entry into the crypto ETF arena remains stuck in neutral. AMBCrypto reported earlier this week that SBI Holdings, a major Japanese financial firm, had filed for a Bitcoin-XRP dual ETF. But hold your horses! They’ve since clarified that no applications have been submitted, stating,

“Contrary to some media reports, we have not filed any applications with the authority to form an ETF related to crypto assets.”

According to SBI Holdings, the product is still in the planning phase, and filings will only come after regulators finish their legal revisions. These revisions aim to classify certain crypto assets under Japan’s Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. Sounds like a real page-turner, doesn’t it?

A representative of SBI Holdings said,

“In Japan, ETFs that incorporate crypto assets are expected to be approved in a way that aligns with the responses of the financial authorities and tax authorities… Therefore, the filing will be done after these legal revisions have been made.”

The Financial Services Agency’s June proposals marked some progress, but without a confirmed framework or timeline, the launch could be as far away as a mirage in the desert.

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2025-08-09 18:09