In a bold prediction that has sent ripples through both the cryptocurrency and traditional finance sectors, Michael Saylor, Executive Chairman of Strategy Inc. (formerly MicroStrategy), has declared that BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) will become the world’s largest exchange-traded fund within the next decade.
Speaking at the Bitcoin Standard Corporations Investor Day held in New York City on Thursday, Saylor told a room packed with corporate executives and institutional investors: “IBIT is going to be the largest ETF in the world.” The proclamation comes as Bitcoin continues its impressive rally, currently trading around $94,700, up over 2% in the past 24 hours.
JUST IN: Michael Saylor predicts BlackRock’s spot #Bitcoin ETF will be “the biggest ETF in the world in ten years.” pic.twitter.com/uiHeth9Hli
— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) April 24, 2025
A Meteoric Rise
BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF, which launched on January 11, 2024, has already made history as the fastest-growing ETF ever, reaching $10 billion in assets under management within just seven weeks of its debut. Currently, IBIT holds approximately $54 billion in assets, controlling over 582,000 Bitcoin.
The ETF has been a standout performer, posting a 37.31% one-year return as of April 22, 2025. Just a day later, it raked in an additional $643.16 million in new inflows, despite recent volatility in cryptocurrency prices. In the past five trading days alone, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs have recorded approximately $2.8 billion in net inflows, with IBIT accounting for $1.3 billion of that total.
This surge in investment has helped drive Bitcoin’s price from around $85,000 to its current level near $95,000, approaching what analysts describe as a significant psychological threshold.
Also Read: The Best You Will Ever Hear”: Michael Saylor’s Masterclass on Bitcoin’s Supremacy
David vs. Financial Goliaths
For Saylor’s prediction to come true, IBIT would need to outgrow current ETF giants like the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO), which currently boasts a market capitalization of approximately $573 billion—more than ten times that of IBIT.
Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF Analyst at Bloomberg, acknowledged the possibility but highlighted the extraordinary circumstances required: “It’s possible, especially if IBIT starts taking in more cash than VOO, but that would require inflows well north of $1 billion a day—more likely in the range of $3 to $4 billion daily, to gain ground.“
Saylor, whose company owns 538,200 Bitcoin valued at approximately $36.47 billion, believes that a combination of Bitcoin price appreciation and growing institutional adoption could propel IBIT past its traditional competitors. If Bitcoin were to triple in value, he suggested, it could potentially give Strategy the biggest cash reserve in the world.
Institutional Adoption Accelerating
Since spot Bitcoin ETFs hit the U.S. market last year, they’ve collectively accumulated more than $37 billion in total net inflows and now control over $106 billion in assets. IBIT has emerged as the market leader, even receiving the “Best New ETF” award at the etf.com awards—a detail Saylor emphasized during his presentation.
The surge in institutional interest comes as more companies are reportedly reconsidering their treasury strategies. Saylor described Bitcoin as the “new anchor for corporate treasury strategy,” arguing that companies are increasingly recognizing that cash is “weak and unstable” in the long term. He characterized Bitcoin as “better than cash” and a type of “future-proof money” that can shield firms from inflation.
“Institutional adoption has only just started,” Saylor told the audience, suggesting that the current influx of capital into Bitcoin-backed financial products represents merely the beginning of a much larger trend.
Political and Economic Tailwinds
Several factors in the political and economic landscape appear to be fueling Bitcoin’s recent performance. Traders have linked Bitcoin’s breakthrough past $90,000 to President Donald Trump’s comments about potentially reducing Chinese import tariffs and the announcement that Jerome Powell will maintain his position as Federal Reserve Chairman.
Additionally, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, who has publicly supported Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in general, has provided market participants with greater regulatory clarity. After experiencing relatively weak inflows in early April, the recent surge of capital into Bitcoin ETFs indicates renewed investor confidence in the digital asset.
With the U.S. dollar weakening and expectations rising for a Federal Reserve rate cut in mid-2025, institutional buyers are returning to the market. While some investors remain concerned about trade policy uncertainty and rising inflation, many are currently allocating funds to Bitcoin as a strategic asset and potential inflation hedge.
The Basis Trade Factor
Not all of the recent ETF inflows represent straightforward directional bets on Bitcoin’s price appreciation. Market analysts have noted that the annualized basis trade for Bitcoin ETFs—a strategy involving going long on the ETF while shorting CME Bitcoin futures—has risen to nearly 10%, up from 5% in early April.
This increase, coupled with a 2,000 BTC rise in futures open interest over the past week, suggests that a portion of the net ETF inflows may be attributed to traders capitalizing on this arbitrage opportunity rather than expressing pure bullish sentiment.
Looking Ahead
As Bitcoin recently surpassed both Silver and Amazon to become the sixth most valuable asset in the world, market observers are closely watching its trajectory toward potential price targets around $98,000 and beyond.
While Saylor’s prediction that IBIT will become the world’s largest ETF may seem ambitious, it aligns with his long-standing bullish outlook on Bitcoin. He has previously suggested that the cryptocurrency could eventually reach a valuation of $13 million per coin.
Should IBIT continue its impressive growth trajectory and Bitcoin maintain its upward momentum, Saylor’s forecast could indeed become reality, representing a paradigm shift in global finance where a digital asset-backed fund surpasses traditional equity benchmarks in size and significance.
For now, as Bitcoin tests new highs and institutional adoption accelerates, all eyes remain on BlackRock’s flagship cryptocurrency product and its potential to reshape the investment landscape over the coming decade.
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