Vanguard Finally Pulls the Bitcoin Bar
Imagine the barbell: 602kg. Heavy, impossible for the average mortal. Most won’t even look at it. But you grip it, chalk up, pull — and ascend.
That’s Bitcoin.
For years, Vanguard — the $10T asset manager, king of indexing, patron saint of “don’t do stupid things” — looked at the Bitcoin bar and said: too heavy, too risky, doesn’t fit our philosophy. They literally banned their clients from touching it. January 2024, when BlackRock and Fidelity dropped their spot Bitcoin ETFs, Vanguard not only refused to offer them — they removed Bitcoin futures altogether. They didn’t even want the bar in the gym.
But now, September 2025, they’re warming up. Whispers say they’re prepping to allow clients access to spot Bitcoin ETFs. Not their own, but BlackRock’s IBIT, Fidelity’s FBTC, the giants already proven on the platform. Vanguard is finally stepping up to the bar.
The Rack Pull Moment
Rack pulls are simple: the bar starts higher. You don’t have to pull from the floor, but you still confront the weight. That’s exactly Vanguard’s move. They’re not launching their own Bitcoin ETF — that would be the full deadlift, raw from the floor. Instead, they’re letting clients use existing ETFs. Rack pulls. Easier setup. Less liability. But the same exposure to raw gravity.
602kg isn’t something you “kind of” lift. Bitcoin isn’t something you “kind of” allow. Either you ban it, or you face it. Vanguard has chosen to face it.
Why Now?
This isn’t Vanguard leading. This is Vanguard capitulating. But capitulation by a $10T giant is more powerful than innovation by a startup.
The Flow Avalanche
Vanguard has 50 million clients. Even if just 1% allocate 1% to Bitcoin, you’re looking at billions flowing in. Sticky money. Retirement money. The kind of flows that don’t leave when the price dips.
Bitcoin ETFs already saw ~80% retail volume in their first year. Add Vanguard’s retirees, savers, and passive investors? That’s the avalanche. Bitcoin isn’t just in hedge funds anymore. It’s in the 401(k) next door.
Bitcoin Inside the Walls
This isn’t about Ethereum or altcoins. This is about the one monetary asset that matters. Bitcoin is the 602kg bar of finance: brutally heavy, terrifying to the timid, but irresistible to those who recognize its necessity.
For Vanguard to allow Bitcoin is the symbolic breach: the last, most conservative bastion of TradFi opening its gates. When the gatekeeper of indexing permits Bitcoin, you know the monetary revolution is no longer outside. It’s inside.
ERIC KIM TAKEAWAY:
Vanguard’s rack pull is our confirmation: Bitcoin is not optional. It is the gravity everyone will eventually have to lift. And the sooner you face the bar, the stronger you become.
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