Vanguard Group, which claims to be one of the world’s largest asset managers, has reportedly made the decision to permit ETFs and mutual funds that mainly hold crypto-assets to be traded on its platform. Interestingly, this new move goes against a longstanding position that the firm’s previous CEO firmly held. They had claimed Vanguard would never ever offer Bitcoin ETFs or similar products (but things have now changed apparently since the departure of the previous CEO).
Beginning on Tuesday, Vanguard will reportedly support ETFs as well as mutual funds that mainly hold certain crypto-assets such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Solana, to be eligible for trading via its platform.
As widely reported, this update seemingly goes against the asset manager’s long-standing view and position that digital assets are way too volatile and quite speculative for investment portfolios.
The announcement from Vanguard also comes despite a $1 trillion+ drawdown in Bitcoin and crypto market value since the infamous market flash crash trigged on October 10, 2025 (shortly after BTC reached an all-time of over $126,000 on October 6, 2025).
According to the firm, constant and steady demand from retail and institutional investors led to Vanguard changing its mind about such products.
After their much-anticipated January 2024 launch, spot Bitcoin ETFs have netted billions of dollars in inflows.
And after outflows and a sharp decline in BTC price, Vanguard’s main competitor, BlackRock, still reportedly has around $70 billion as part of its IBIT ETF alone, down from $100 billion only 2 months prior.
Vanguard’s change in stance, which comes after a September report that the company was considering the pivot, now potentially opens access for 50 million brokerage clients, who oversee more than $11 trillion, to more regulated crypto wrappers.
Despite the significant crypto market price corrections, digital assets-linked ETFs are still one of the fastest-growing financial instruments.
Crypto enthusiasts should now see Vanguard’s surprising capitulation as a sort of psychological shift. It is seemingly an indication that TradFi is no longer able to fight the appeal of digital assets.
Andrew Kadjeski, head of brokerage and investments at Vanguard said that cryptocurrency ETFs and mutual funds have been “tested through periods of market volatility, performing as designed while maintaining liquidity,”
They added that the administrative processes “to service these types of funds have matured; and investor preferences continue to evolve.”
The update from Vanguard has been issued about a year following Salim Ramji, an ex- BlackRock executive and blockchain supporter, taking charge as Vanguard’s new CEO.
The asset manager stated that it may support various crypto ETFs and mutual funds that are able to satisfy applicable regulatory standards.
Kadjeski added that Vanguard has no intentions at this time to launch its own crypto products.
He also stated that they cater to investors that tend to have “diverse needs and risk profiles.
They aim to provide a brokerage trading platform that “gives their brokerage clients the ability to invest in products they choose.”