Yes. There are instructions that are holding bitcoin , some are even trading bitcoin using a third party.
I got to know about this from a friend that works for one of such institutions..
Most institutions own substantial amounts of btc, It helps to diversify their portfolio. I don't think it is a big secret even if it is not widely talked about
Cool stories, bros. Got any concrete examples of institutions (and not
instructions) holding bitcoin?
Big financial institutions have to report on their investments, and I don't think they would legally be able to keep it a secret if they were investing in bitcoin. I don't think their investors would be very happy if they did in the event that bitcoin crashed and the institution lost a lot of money.
There may be some hedge funds and smaller investment firms playing around with crypto, but my guess is that they're not holding a lot of it. They would also be more likely to buy bitcoin derivatives (futures, options, etc.) if those even exist. I still can't figure out if crypto derivatives have been created yet or where they're traded if they have. There just isn't enough actual bitcoin in circulation for large firms to buy it in bulk, so they would have to trade "paper bitcoin" if they were to invest in it at all.
But no, I don't think any of this is done in secret. I don't think it
can be a secret.