 Austin University to launch $5M Bitcoin fund with 5-year HODL strategy: Report 
2025-02-09
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The University of Austin is launching a first-of-its-kind Bitcoin investment fund, showcasing the growing Bitcoin adoption among United States institutions.
The University of Austin will raise a Bitcoin BTCUSD fund worth over $5 million, as part of the institution’s $200 million endowment fund.
“We don’t want to be left behind when their [cryptocurrency’s] potential materializes dramatically,” Chun Lai, the foundation’s chief investment officer, told FT, according to a Feb. 9 report.
The news of the fund comes over three months after a regulatory filing revealed that Emory University accumulated over $15 million worth of Bitcoin through Grayscale’s spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF), Cointelegraph reported on Oct. 28.
Emory University’s move marked the first US university endowment to report holding Bitcoin ETFs.
Continued institutional ETF adoption may significantly bolster Bitcoin’s price since institutions hold large amounts of capital that can move crypto markets. Bitcoin needs continued institutional adoption to reach new all-time highs.
University of Austin targets 5-year Bitcoin holding strategy
Showcasing the growing appetite for digital asset exposure, increasingly more institutional funds are targeting multi-year holding strategies.
The University of Austin will aim for a minimum five-year Bitcoin holding strategy, according to Chad Thevenot, senior vice president for advancement at the University of Austin, who said:
Crypto adoption may hit retirement funds next
Beyond just financial institutions, cryptocurrencies are also gaining traction among retirement funds, showcasing a shift in perception among younger generations.
Up to 20% of Gen Z and Alpha are open to receiving pensions in cryptocurrency, according to a Jan. 16 Bitget Research report shared with Cointelegraph.
Moreover, 78% of the respondents expressed greater trust in “alternative retirement savings options” over traditional pension funds, highlighting a major shift towards “decentralized finance and blockchain-based solutions.”
The survey’s findings are a “wake-up call for the financial industry,” according to Gracy Chen, the CEO of Bitget, who stated in the report:
The report noted that 40% of individuals in these age groups had already invested in cryptocurrency as of January 2025.