U.S. Chartered Bank Protego Holds Bitcoin ETF Shares from BlackRock and Fidelity

In a significant move for institutional crypto adoption, Protego Trust Company, a federally chartered digital asset bank, has revealed its holdings of spot Bitcoin ETF shares. According to a recent SEC filing, Protego holds preferred stock in two major funds: the BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) and the Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC). This development highlights the growing acceptance of Bitcoin investment vehicles by regulated U.S. financial institutions. As a trust company with a national bank charter from the OCC, Protego's investment signals strong institutional confidence in the nascent spot Bitcoin ETF market. The filing underscores a key trend of traditional finance entities using these ETFs to gain regulated exposure to Bitcoin's price performance.