- Harvard sold its entire Ethereum ETF position after holding it for only one quarter.
- The Q1 2026 SEC filing confirmed the sale of $87 million in ETH-linked ETF shares.
- Harvard reduced its Bitcoin exposure by selling about 2.3 million ETF shares.
- The endowment still holds over 3 million shares of a Bitcoin ETF valued at about $117 million.
- Ethereum has dropped more than 50% from its August 2025 peak of nearly $5000.
Harvard has exited its entire Ethereum exposure after holding it for just one quarter. The move appeared in its Q1 2026 SEC filing, which showed the sale of all ETH-related ETF shares. Harvard also reduced its Bitcoin holdings during the same period while retaining a large BTC position.
Harvard exits Ethereum ETF holdings in Q1 filing
Harvard Management Company disclosed the sale in its latest United States Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The endowment no longer holds its $87 million stake in an Ethereum exchange-traded fund.
The fund previously owned shares in BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust ETF during Q4 2025. However, the Q1 2026 filing showed a complete exit from that position. Harvard sold the ETH-linked shares after holding them for only one quarter. The filing did not provide a specific reason for the decision.
The endowment also reduced its Bitcoin exposure during the same reporting period. It sold about 2.3 million shares of a Bitcoin ETF. Despite the reduction, Harvard still holds more than 3 million shares of BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF. Those holdings are valued at nearly $117 million.
Ethereum price decline and foundation changes
Ethereum has faced a challenging year, with its price falling over 50% from its August 2025 peak. The asset had reached nearly $5,000 before declining. The price drop occurred alongside internal changes at the Ethereum Foundation. Several researchers and staff members have left the organization in 2026. Julian Ma and Carl Beek recently announced their departures from the foundation. Their exits brought the total number of departures this year to eight.
Josh Stark, a longtime researcher and former project manager, also left in April. These changes followed leadership adjustments that began in January 2025. In March, the Ethereum Foundation released a new mandate outlining its priorities. The document emphasized decentralization, privacy, open-source code, and censorship resistance.
The mandate received mixed responses from members of the crypto community. Some observers supported the focus on core principles. Journalist Laura Shin commented on the foundation’s direction in public remarks. She said the core pillars were “great” and “worth fighting for.”
However, she added that the foundation should also focus on token economics and price performance. “The Ethereum Foundation seems to want to sit back on its laurels,” Shin said. Harvard’s Q1 2026 filing reflects these broader developments in the Ethereum ecosystem. The endowment continues to maintain a reduced but still large Bitcoin ETF position.
