TechFlow reports on February 18 that, according to The Block, Geoffrey Kendrick, Head of Global Digital Assets Research at Standard Chartered, released a new research report stating institutional investors are accelerating their entry into the Bitcoin market. Data from Q4 13F filings shows that while hedge funds remain dominant buyers, banks have significantly increased their purchasing activity.
The Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund already holds approximately 4,700 Bitcoin-equivalent units in BlackRock's IBIT ETF, and this position is expected to grow further. Kendrick noted that the Czech National Bank is considering allocating 5% (around 7 billion euros) of its 140 billion euro reserves to Bitcoin, while the Swiss National Bank is also in early evaluation stages for Bitcoin investment.
As institutional access barriers decrease and volatility declines, more institutional portfolios will gradually move from underweight positions toward optimal allocation levels. Kendrick maintains his forecast that Bitcoin will reach $500,000 by 2028.
