Several European exchanges now offer BlackRock’s first Bitcoin investment product outside North America. The iShares Bitcoin ETP (IB1T) debuted March 25, 2025, on Xetra, Euronext Paris, and Euronext Amsterdam. It’s physically backed by Bitcoin—real coins sitting in cold storage with Coinbase Global while BNY Mellon handles the paperwork. Pretty straightforward stuff.
BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETP hits Europe’s major exchanges with real Bitcoin backing and blue-chip custodians handling the heavy lifting.
The fees? Surprisingly decent. BlackRock’s charging a 0.15% expense ratio to start, jumping to 0.25% after 2025. That’s competitive for Europe’s Bitcoin ETPs. No stamp duty either, thanks to some clever Swiss structuring. The finance bros must be thrilled.
This isn’t BlackRock’s first crypto rodeo. Their US-listed iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) already dominates with a whopping $50.7 billion under management. Unlike many crypto ETFs that use futures contracts to track cryptocurrency prices, BlackRock’s offerings directly hold the digital assets. BlackRock’s new product follows the successful US launch of their Bitcoin ETF earlier this year. Europe’s crypto ETP market sits at $13.6 billion. Do the math—there’s room to grow.
Demand appears strong. A full 75% of professional investors say they might jump into Bitcoin ETPs within two years. Europe already has 25 million crypto investors looking for easier ways to get Bitcoin exposure without dealing with digital wallets and security keys. Now they’ve got options.
The timing’s interesting. Europe just rolled out MiCA regulations, creating actual rules for crypto products. That stability makes the US market look chaotic by comparison. BlackRock clearly sees opportunity.
Market watchers expect this launch to boost Bitcoin’s price. More institutional money flowing in tends to do that. When the world’s largest asset manager embraces something, others follow. Conservative investors with higher risk tolerance might consider 1-2% allocation to this asset class.
The bigger picture? We’re watching finance evolve in real time. BlackRock wouldn’t touch this market if they didn’t see serious potential. Other big players will follow. European investors finally get what Americans have had for months.
For traditional finance and crypto, the walls are coming down. Fast. The nerds who believed in Bitcoin a decade ago are probably feeling pretty smug right now.
