New Jersey Pension Invested $7M in Bitcoin Mining Stocks Last Quarter

The $30 billion pension took stakes in Riot Blockchain and Marathon Digital Holdings in a first for the state.

Jul 23, 2021 at 5:27 p.m. UTC

Updated Sep 14, 2021 at 1:30 p.m. UTC

Trenton, New Jersey — Vintage postcard of Trenton, N.J.

New Jersey’s pension fund chased crypto mining’s upside last quarter with multimillion-dollar bets on two of the industry’s biggest names.

The state-managed pension ended June with $3.66 million in Riot Blockchain (NASDAQ: RIOT) and $3.39 million in Marathon Digital Holdings (NASDAQ: MARA), according to disclosure documents.

New Jersey’s Common Pension Fund D has $30 billion in total assets for state employees.

The allocation appears to be New Jersey’s first in the crypto sector. Other state-run pension schemes have also warmed to bitcoin mining stocks in recent months, most notably California’s.

The NJ Division of Investment did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

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