Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Expects Big Four Financial Institutions Groups to Support Bitcoin ETFs by End of Year

According to Matt Hougan, chief investment officer at Bitwise, the four largest Financial Institution Groups - Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo and UBS - which manage more than $10 trillion in client assets - are expected to fully support Bitcoin ETFs by the end of the year. Although Bitcoin ETFs did not see as much inflows at the start of the year as in the same period in 2024 (so far attracting only about $4 billion, compared to $11.80 billion in the same period last year), Hougan still forecasts a new record for net inflows in 2025. He pointed out that institutional participation is increasing across the board - nine of the world's top 10 hedge funds already own bitcoin, including institutional investors such as Emory University and Texas Teachers' Retirement System, and large asset managers such as BlackRock have also joined the market, which will drive more investors into the bitcoin market.