BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust records $164M client purchases as SEC lifts options limits

Clients of BlackRock have bought roughly $163.94 million worth of Bitcoin through the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), underscoring continued institutional demand for the spot Bitcoin ETF.

On July 15 2026 the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed NYSE Arca rule SR‑NYSEARCA‑2026‑76, raising IBIT’s position and exercise limits for options contracts from 250,000 to 1,000,000 contracts. The change puts the Bitcoin ETF in the same options tier as heavily traded equities such as Apple and NVIDIA.

IBIT is the dominant U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF, with over $60 billion in cumulative net inflows, about $47.5 billion in net assets and holdings of roughly 1.2 million BTC—approximately 5.8 % of the cryptocurrency’s circulating supply. Its average daily trading volume reached about 61 million shares in early 2026, and options open interest topped $27.6 billion.