Bitcoin ETF

What is a bitcoin ETF? They are a relatively easy-to-purchase investment vehicle that owns bitcoin (BTC), the original cryptocurrency. Just like stocks, exchange-traded funds are listed on exchanges, can be traded throughout the day and are available for purchase through normal brokerage accounts. A bitcoin ETF was first proposed in the U.S. around 2013 by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, but were never approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Several applications for them are pending with the SEC as of January 2024, from companies including BlackRock, Grayscale, Fidelity, Galaxy/Invesco and Franklin Templeton. If approved, crypto ETFs could dramatically broaden the base of people who can invest in digital assets. There have been bitcoin futures ETFs available in the U.S. for several years, but the latest round of proposed products, technically known as spot bitcoin ETFs, are a more efficient and desirable product.


Markets

Grayscale Reiterates Plans to Convert Bitcoin Trust to Spot ETF

Once the application is made, the SEC will have 75 days to review it.

Grayscale CEO Michael Sonnenshein speaks at Consensus: Invest 2018. (CoinDesk archives)

Markets

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Reaches $61K as SEC’s ETF Deadline Nears

Bitcoin is inching closer to an all-time high as anticipation builds the U.S. regulator will finally approve one of the many applications it has received.

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Shutterstock)

Learn

What Is a Bitcoin ETF?

The SEC is expected to decide on Jan. 10, 2024, whether to approve bitcoin ETFs from the likes of BlackRock, Fidelity and others, which would give investors exposure to the biggest cryptocurrency without having to actually buy it.

(Shutterstock)

Policy

SEC Approves Bitcoin Futures ETF, Opening Crypto to Wider Investor Base

ProShares is set to launch trading of its bitcoin futures ETF next week.

SEC Chair Gary Gensler (Melissa Lyttle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Finance

Jacobi Asset Management Wins Bitcoin ETF Approval in Guernsey

The news comes as investors eagerly await the SEC’s verdict on a crop of bitcoin futures ETFs.

ST PETER PORT, GUERNSEY, CHANNEL ISLANDS: Castle Cornet, St Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Isles.  (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

Markets

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Declines as Indicator Shows Rally Could Lose Steam

Comments from J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon contributed to a sour mood across crypto markets.

Bull and bear (Shutterstock)

Videos

GSR USA CEO: Bitcoin Will Be Back at $65K

Trey Griggs, CEO of GSR USA, discusses his bullish forecast for bitcoin, citing the value of the Bitcoin network, a pending bitcoin ETF approval, increase in transaction activity and in-person meetings. Plus, his take on the U.S. crypto regulatory landscape.

Recent Videos

Videos

What to Watch in Bitcoin This Week

Bitcoin’s price continues to rise, up more than 4% on the day. Patrick Heusser, head of trading at Crypto Finance AG, discusses his crypto markets analysis and outlook, explaining what he sees as drivers for positive or bullish sentiment around bitcoin.

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Markets

Dying for a Bitcoin Futures ETF? Watch Out for ‘Contango Bleed’

There’s a downside to SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s preference for an exchange-traded fund focused on bitcoin futures. But it’s unlikely to deter investors.

A little-known risk of a bitcoin futures ETF is that it could bleed investor returns. (Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)