UAE sovereign fund Mubadala increases its Bitcoin ETF holdings

As the crypto market becomes more attractive for institutional investors globally, UAE based Mubadala, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, has disclosed a $408.5 million stake in iShare Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) in a 13F filing released on My 15th 2025.

The fund reported holding 8,726,972 IBIT shares as of March 31, 2025, an increase from 8,235,533 shares reported at the end of 2024. The 491,436 additional IBIT shares exposure showcases more interest in holding Bitcoin as an investment asset.

UAE Mubadala, a sovereign investment fund, revealed in an SEC filing that in late 2024 it invested $436 million in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF. The disclosure was made through a 13F filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

This was the first time a Gulf sovereign wealth fund showcased their investment in Bitcoin through an ETF. The UAE through another sovereign wealth fund, ADQ has indirectly invested in Bitcoin by partnering with Marathon Digital Holdings for a digital asset mining company in Abu Dhabi.

More recently, Bahrain based Al Abraaj Restaurants Group B.S.C. (Ticker: ABRAAJ), a public listed company on the Bahrain Bourse, announced that it has put Bitcoin on its balance sheet. As per the news, the Group has purchased Bitcoin in partnership with U.S. based 10X Capital, becoming the first publicly traded company in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Gulf Cooperation Council (“GCC”), and the Middle East to acquire Bitcoin as a treasury asset.

Al Abraaj has acquired an initial amount of 5 BTC with plans to build on this initial purchase and begin allocating a significant portion of its corporate treasury into Bitcoin.

As per the announcement, Al Abraaj considers Bitcoin to be its reserve treasury asset. Al Abraaj is a profitable company, with 2024 EBITDA of USD $12.5 million.