UT Austin to Launch $5M Bitcoin Fund with 5-Year HODL Strategy
Date: 2025-02-10 Author: Oliver Abernathy Categories: IN WORLD
The University of Austin has announced the creation of a Bitcoin-focused investment fund, a move that demonstrates the growing acceptance of cryptocurrencies among US educational institutions.
The fund, which will be worth more than $5 million, will be part of the university’s total endowment of $200 million. The fund’s chief investment officer, Chun Lai, said the institution does not want to be left behind in the potential of digital assets. “We cannot afford to miss out on the moment when cryptocurrencies reveal their true value,” he said in an interview with the Financial Times on February 9.
The move comes three months after regulatory filings confirmed that Emory University had invested more than $15 million in Bitcoin through Grayscale’s Bitcoin Spot ETF, making Emory the first US university to formally announce its ownership of a Bitcoin ETF.
In recent years, institutional funds have increasingly favored long-term digital asset strategies. The University of Austin is also following this trend, planning to hold Bitcoin for at least five years.
Senior Vice President of the University Chad Thevenot emphasized: “We view Bitcoin as an asset with long-term value, just like stocks or real estate.”
Increased institutional investment through ETFs could significantly affect the Bitcoin price, since large institutions have enough capital to significantly change market trends. Further adoption of Bitcoin in the institutional environment could help the cryptocurrency reach new historical highs.
In addition to educational institutions, cryptocurrencies are starting to take their place in pension funds. This reflects a change in attitudes among the younger generation.
According to a study by Bitget Research from January 16, up to 20% of representatives of Generation Z and Alpha are ready to receive pension payments in cryptocurrency. In addition, 78% of respondents expressed more confidence in “alternative options for retirement savings” than in traditional funds. This confirms the trend towards decentralized financial solutions and blockchain technologies.
Bitget CEO Gracie Chen noted that these results should be a signal to the financial sector: “Younger generations are no longer satisfied with standard pension schemes. They are looking for modern tools that will give them more control, flexibility and transparency.”
The study also found that by January 2025, 40% of respondents had already invested in cryptocurrency, indicating a growing interest in digital assets as a means of accumulation.
