Bitcoin ETF investors are navigating a transformed policy environment in the United States, with the federal government designating the digital asset as a matter of national strategic importance, according to CoinShares’ 2026 outlook report.
The shift represents a turning point for institutional access to bitcoin through exchange-traded funds, with regulatory changes creating a more defined framework for the products that launched in early 2024. However, the pace of adoption through major wealth management channels remains measured.
The policy changes include the establishment of a U.S. strategic bitcoin reserve and the GENIUS Act, signed in July 2025, which classified stablecoins as non-securities to support U.S. Treasury demand, according to the report. Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT) ranks among the top 10 corporate Bitcoin holders with 11,542 BTC.
CoinShares notes that while these regulatory unlocks create a more favorable backdrop, institutional investors still face limitations. Major wirehouses restrict what financial advisors can recommend, which clients can hold allocations, and the size of positions allowed in bitcoin ETF products.
Bitcoin ETF Access Remains Limited
The report emphasizes that 2025’s structural changes — including Securities and Exchange Commission approval of spot bitcoin ETFs and the formation of options markets around the largest products — represent “gates being unlocked rather than destinations being reached.”
CoinShares expects several developments in 2026, including at least one major retirement plan provider allowing bitcoin allocations through ETFs and two custody banks beginning to offer direct bitcoin custody services for institutional clients.
The firm anticipates bitcoin’s price discovery will continue to shift toward ETF trading and flows, with 13F filers potentially holding over one-third of spot bitcoin ETF assets by year-end.
Among the products in the category is the CoinShares Bitcoin ETF (BRRR), which carries a 0.25% expense ratio and holds $495.7 million in assets. The firm expects the four major U.S. wirehouses to formally open solicited bitcoin ETF allocations within discretionary portfolios in 2026, along with at least two custody banks beginning direct Bitcoin custody services for institutional clients.
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