- Institutional investors sold ~25K Bitcoin in Q4, signaling caution despite holding over 311K BTC overall.
- Coinbase Premium briefly rose above zero but failed, hinting at short-term Bitcoin price pressure.
- Some sectors like holding companies and governments increased Bitcoin, showing selective buying amid broader selling.
Institutional investors pulled back on their Bitcoin ETF holdings in Q4 2025, showing a more cautious approach to the market. Bloomberg analyst James Seyffart noted that major players, like investment advisors and hedge funds, sold ETF shares equal to about 25,000 Bitcoin.
This shows that investors are taking profits after a year of big Bitcoin gains. Even with these sales, traditional financial institutions still hold a huge amount—around 311,697 bitcoins. Investment advisors, who hold the largest portion at 160,749 bitcoins, led the selling, trimming their holdings by 21,831 bitcoins.
Hedge funds and brokerages also cut back, holding 75,725 and 36,750 bitcoins, respectively. However, not everyone was selling. Holding companies added 6,970 bitcoins, bringing their total to 9,892. Governments boosted their holdings by 2,247 bitcoins, and private equity firms added 402.
Meanwhile, banks and endowments trimmed their positions, with banks reducing 4,405 bitcoins. Smaller players like family offices, insurance companies, and corporations made modest gains but still hold far less than advisors and hedge funds.
Coinbase Premium Signals Price Pressure
Meanwhile, market data indicates potential short-term downside for Bitcoin. CryptoQuant analyst nino observed that the Coinbase Premium SMA-30 briefly crossed above zero but failed to sustain momentum.
He noted, “This lack of sustained recovery in the premium, despite the temporary uptick, is considered a potential trigger for the recent downward price action.” Currently, Bitcoin trades near $64,700, reflecting a combination of institutional selling and waning short-term demand pressure.
Consequently, these developments suggest caution for both retail and professional investors. Besides heavy selling from traditional institutions, the failure of the Coinbase premium to maintain a positive trend may create further selling pressure. Moreover, shifts among different investor categories show a divergence between cautious institutions and opportunistic players increasing exposure.
