Investment management giant Vanguard has increased its exposure to Bitcoin treasury company Strive Asset Management, adding more than 269,000 shares through one of its flagship index funds as institutional exposure to Bitcoin-linked equities continues to expand.
According to an update shared by BitcoinTreasuries.NET, Vanguard's Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTSAX) increased its position in Strive Asset Management ($ASST) by 269,200 shares to approximately $3.2 million. The purchase brings the fund's total holdings to 1.98 million shares, worth roughly $23.7 million.
Joe Burnett, Director of Market Research at The Bitcoin Way, argued that the trend shows the growing integration of Bitcoin into traditional capital markets.
"A massive portion of global capital is passive, simply chasing returns and copying how the market allocates capital," Burnett wrote on X. "The world is beginning to own Bitcoin and not even know it."
Vanguard's about-face
In early 2024, under then-CEO Tim Buckley, the firm refused to allow clients to buy spot Bitcoin ETFs on its brokerage platform. It then appointed Salim Ramji, a former BlackRock executive who had helped oversee the launch of BlackRock's spot Bitcoin ETF (IBIT), as its new CEO. His arrival was widely seen as signaling a more open approach to digital assets.
In late 2025, Vanguard executed its first major policy reversal by lifting its ban on cryptocurrency ETFs. However, the firm stressed that it had no plans to launch its own crypto investment products.
In 2026, Vanguard continued to increase holdings in Bitcoin treasury companies, including larger stakes in firms such as Strive Asset Management. The asset manager first disclosed a notable stake in Strive in April (the data showed that Vanguard had increased its holdings to 27.63 million shares).
In July, the financial titan shocked some industry observers by posting a job opening for its first-ever Head of Digital Assets for Personal Wealth.