UniCredit Launches Capital-Protected Product Tied to BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF Amid Surging Institutional Demand

European banking giant UniCredit is stepping into the digital asset space by offering a structured product tied to BlackRock's popular spot Bitcoin ETF. The product, designed for professional clients, is a five-year, dollar-denominated investment certificate linked to the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF, which guarantees 100% capital protection at maturity.

This information was revealed in an internal memo seen by Bloomberg News. The maximum return for the product is capped at 85% of the ETF’s performance, with a minimum investment threshold of $25,000. This move underscores UniCredit's effort to bridge the gap between traditional finance and digital assets, catering to the growing demand among European investors for digital asset exposure through established financial mechanisms.

European banking giant UniCredit is stepping into the digital asset space by offering a structured product tied to BlackRock's popular spot Bitcoin ETF. The product, designed for professional clients, is a five-year, dollar-denominated investment certificate that guarantees 100% capital protection at maturity.

Bitcoin has gained about 14% this year, standing in sharp contrast to many smaller crypto tokens, which have suffered steep declines. This growth further emphasizes the increasing interest in Bitcoin-related financial products.

“We are seeing increasing interest from professional investors in instruments tied to emerging asset classes such as cryptocurrencies,” said Chicco di Stasi, head of Group Investment Product Solutions and Equity & Credit Sales and Trading at UniCredit, in an emailed statement. “With this product, we offer our professional clients a distinctive solution —the first of its kind in Italy.”

BlackRock's spot Bitcoin ETF, launched in March 2025, has been listed on multiple European exchanges, including Euronext Paris and Xetra under the ticker "IB1T" and Euronext Amsterdam under "BTCN." The ETF has become a benchmark for cryptocurrency-linked financial products, with assets under management exceeding $73 billion.

This move underscores UniCredit's effort to bridge the gap between traditional finance and digital assets, catering to the growing demand among European investors for digital asset exposure through established financial mechanisms.

BlackRock's Spot Bitcoin ETF Reverses Four-Week Downtrend in Volumes

Meanwhile, in the United States, BlackRock's spot Bitcoin ETF has emerged as a leader in the market, reversing a four-week downtrend in volumes. Over the past 15 trading days, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs have attracted a cumulative $4.7 billion in net inflows, with BlackRock's IBIT fund accounting for 81% of these inflows, or approximately $3.8 billion. On June 30 alone, the IBIT fund saw net inflows of $112.3 million.

"The spot Bitcoin ETFs have seen inflows for 15 consecutive trading days," said The ETF Store President Nate Geraci on X. "Nearly $5 billion in new funds — not $5 billion for the year, but $5 billion in just the past 15 trading days," he added, highlighting that many experts initially predicted $5 billion would be the upper limit for U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs in their first year.

Despite this streak, the pace of inflows has shown signs of slowing down. For instance, the $102.1 million added on the 15th day is significantly lower than the $501.2 million recorded at the beginning of the streak. Analysts suggest that this deceleration could indicate a cooling of short-term institutional enthusiasm. However, medium-term signals remain bullish, especially as corporate treasuries continue to accumulate Bitcoin.

Bitcoin, currently trading at $106,707, remains less than 5% below its all-time high of $112,000. Analysts, however, are cautious about its ability to break through this threshold without new market catalysts. Valentin Fournier, Lead Research Analyst at BRN, commented that the slowing pace of ETF inflows casts doubt on bitcoin reaching new all-time highs above $112,000 in the near term.