When Bitwise Asset Management launched its Bitcoin ETF in January 2024, it promised: to hand over 10% of the total profit every year to the people who work with Bitcoin. 14 months later, that promise is still being delivered — and the checks are getting bigger.
A growing commitment to open source work
On March 4, the company announced a donation of $233,000 to three organizations that fund open source BTC developers: Brink, OpenSats, and the Bitcoin Development Fund for Human Rights.
Combined with last year’s contribution, Bitwise has now put more than $380,000 into the hands of the programmers who maintain and secure the world’s largest cryptocurrency network. None of this money came from marketing budgets or corporate goodwill. It came directly from the ETF’s profits.
As part of our annual commitment to support Bitcoin open source developers, Bitwise is proud to donate $233,000 to support unsung heroes to maintain and secure the Bitcoin network.
This year has marked significant growth for the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF ($BITB), which… pic.twitter.com/wjEoLHDVsY
— Bitwise (@Bitwise) March 4, 2026
Image Credit: Reuters/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
The Bitcoin ETF at the heart of this — ticker BITB — has received more than $2.5 billion in investor inflows since its launch. This growth is what drives the size of the annual donation.
As BITB grows, so does the stake. Bitwise said as much when announcing this year’s gift, confirming that future donations will be boosted by the fund’s assets under management.
Thanks to @Bitwise team to support Bitcoin open source development! https://t.co/xDgQTc5RHk
— Brink (@bitcoinbrink) March 4, 2026
Bitcoin’s Invisible Workforce
Open source developers rarely publish headlines. They write code, review proposals, fix bugs, and discuss technical improvements in public forums—mostly for free.
The three nonprofits receiving Bitwise donations are specifically out to change that. Brink and OpenSats offer grants and scholarships to full-time contributors. The Human Rights Fund’s Bitcoin Development Fund aims to reach out to developers in countries where financial freedom is most at risk.
For these organizations, corporate donations of this size are important. The main cryptocurrency asset development has no central authority and no company writing a salary behind it. Funding comes from donors and the importance of sustainability.
Beyond Crypto
Bitwise has extended the same model to Ethereum. The company also reportedly donated a portion of its profits from its Ethereum ETF — ETHW — to Ethereum open source contributors last year.
The firm manages more than $15 billion in assets across more than 40 products, including ETFs linked to XRP, Solana and Dogecoin.
The bigger picture is a company that uses its ETF business not just to profit from crypto, but to fund the business that keeps it going.
Whether it will become an industry standard remains to be seen. At the moment, Bitwise is one of the few that does it consistently and puts receipts on the table every year.
Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView
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