Daily Crypto Briefs 
NEW YORK, Dec. 27, 2025
BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) disclosed a decline of about 2,836 BTC in its published holdings from Dec. 22 to Dec. 24, according to BlackRock’s daily holdings files, a move that fed social posts describing an estimated $251 million “sale.”
The claim followed our Dec. 22 report on BlackRock’s $270M Coinbase Prime move, which sparked selling talk even though on-chain moves and custody shifts do not confirm a trade.
Using IBIT’s own daily marking, the two-session reduction works out to about $251 million, and the filings do not show whether any bitcoin was sold on an exchange, moved between custody accounts, or delivered to settle share redemptions.
What is clear is that “BlackRock sold bitcoin” headlines often describe ETF plumbing rather than a discretionary corporate trade by BlackRock itself. The same mechanics can also sit behind Coinbase Prime transfer headlines, and the operational details are usually not disclosed.
Bitcoin traded in the high $80,000s over the past week, data from CoinGecko showed.
Did BlackRock sell $251M in Bitcoin?
The $251 million figure in this report comes from IBIT’s published holdings marking across Dec. 22 and Dec. 24. No filing, statement, or trade report was cited in posts describing it as a sale.
A cleaner way to ground the claim is to compare IBIT’s disclosed units of bitcoin across sessions in BlackRock’s own holdings files and then translate the unit change into dollars.
What the holdings files show in plain terms
BlackRock’s IBIT holdings file for Dec. 22 listed 775,420.0805 BTC. The Dec. 24 file listed 772,583.9486 BTC.
That is a decline of about 2,836 BTC over two sessions, based on BlackRock’s own disclosures.
IBIT ETF redemptions can force selling without a BlackRock “call”
IBIT is an ETF structure where investors buy and sell shares, and authorized participants create or redeem shares in large blocks. When redemptions hit, bitcoin can leave the trust as the process settles.
That flow can look like “BlackRock selling,” even when the driver is investor activity and routine settlement.
Farside Investors posted a daily flow table showing BlackRock at -$157.3 million on Dec. 24.
A cash-led process still ends with BTC moving
IBIT’s product page describes basket mechanics, including a 40,000-share basket size and a daily “Indicative Basket Bitcoin Amount.”
It was not disclosed which creation or redemption orders were tied to the holdings decline from Dec. 22 to Dec. 24 or what execution path was used to source or unwind bitcoin.
Coinbase Prime transfers: what on-chain trackers prove
Coinbase Prime is a custody and settlement venue used across crypto markets, including for large funds, according to Coinbase Prime.
That context is one reason big transfers tied to ETF plumbing often get framed as “selling,” especially when bitcoin is falling or liquidity is thin.
A transfer is not the same thing as a market sale
On-chain transfers can show coins moving between wallets. They do not show whether the bitcoin was sold on an exchange, traded over the counter, or moved as part of internal custody operations.
Lookonchain said BlackRock deposited 2,019 BTC and 29,928 ETH to Coinbase Prime in a post that circulated widely in the ETF flow debate.
This story continues our Dec. 22 report on BlackRock’s $270M Coinbase Prime move and pairs with our deeper dive on IBIT outflow headlines.
IBIT holdings data: the BTC change behind the headline
IBIT’s holdings file implies a bitcoin price near $89,543 on Dec. 22 and about $87,229 on Dec. 24, based on the market value and bitcoin units shown in the files.
Applying that marking to the 2,836 BTC decline yields an estimated value near $251 million. The holdings files still do not confirm a sale.
What is missing from the public record
The holdings files show units and values. They do not identify which counterparties handled the creation or redemption, which desk executed any trades, or whether bitcoin moved because of investor redemptions, routine rebalancing, or another operational step.
The next IBIT holdings update after holiday liquidity
The next update to BlackRock’s holdings file is the cleanest way to see whether the reduction was a one-off drop or part of a larger streak.
If holdings keep falling while bitcoin liquidity stays thin, the “BlackRock sold” framing is likely to keep showing up in social feeds.
Primary sources and further reading
| Source | Title |
|---|---|
| | BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) product page |
| | IBIT holdings file (as of Dec. 22, 2025) |
| | IBIT holdings file (as of Dec. 24, 2025) |
| | Farside Investors on X: Bitcoin ETF daily flow (BlackRock -$157.3M) |
| | Lookonchain on X: BlackRock deposits BTC and ETH to Coinbase Prime |
| | CoinGecko: Bitcoin price |
| | Coinbase Prime |
| | CoinDesk: Trump buys burgers with bitcoin at NYC crypto hangout PubKey |
Fact-checked by: Daily Crypto Briefs Fact-Check Desk
Frequently Asked Questions
Did BlackRock sell $251M in bitcoin?
A sale was not disclosed. BlackRock’s IBIT holdings files showed the trust’s bitcoin units fell by about 2,836 BTC from Dec. 22 to Dec. 24, and that change does not by itself confirm an exchange sale.
How much bitcoin did IBIT holdings fall by in this report?
IBIT’s holdings file listed 775,420.0805 BTC as of Dec. 22 and 772,583.9486 BTC as of Dec. 24, according to BlackRock’s published files, a decline of about 2,836 BTC.
How was the $251M figure calculated?
Daily Crypto Briefs used the bitcoin unit change in BlackRock’s IBIT holdings files and the fund’s own disclosed market values on those dates to estimate the dollar value at roughly $251 million.
What is IBIT?
IBIT is BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust, a spot Bitcoin ETF, according to BlackRock’s product page.
Do IBIT outflows mean BlackRock is dumping bitcoin?
Not necessarily. IBIT share creations and redemptions can move bitcoin in and out of the trust through authorized participants, and that flow can look like “selling” even when it reflects ETF settlement.
Does moving coins to Coinbase Prime prove a market sale?
No. A transfer to Coinbase Prime can reflect custody or settlement activity, and it does not show whether bitcoin was sold on an exchange, traded over the counter, or moved between internal accounts.
Where can readers verify the holdings numbers?
BlackRock publishes an IBIT holdings file on its product site that lists bitcoin units and market value by date.