The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has put two applications for spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) from the asset managers ARK Invest and VanEck under its lens. With an announcement made on 21st September, the regulatory body has opened up a 45-day period for public comments on the possible implications of these approvals and the latent risks they might bring along.
Initiating the application process, Cboe BZX Exchange lodged two 19b-4 applications with the U.S. securities regulator on September 6, calling for the listing of ARK 21 Shares and VanEck Ethereum ETF investment products on the exchange. The ETFs, as proposed, will peg the price of Ether against the CME CF Ether-Dollar Reference Rate, adjusting for expenses and liabilities.
However, a notable angle is that SEC’s review doesn’t ascertain approval of these ETFs. Reliable sources hint towards Ether futures ETF launching as soon as the upcoming month.
It goes without saying, the regulator has previously expressed more confidence in futures-based ETFs for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) as they are believed to provide more solid investor protections, as opposed to a spot ETF.
A Bloomberg ETF analyst, James Seyffart, expects more applications for spot Ethereum ETFs to pour in soon. He estimates a tentative deadline for these applications around May 23, 2024.
Ethereum ETFs, however promising, are not devoid of hurdles. Regulatory approvals form a significant part of these challenges, with the regulator’s main reservations being investor protection, potential market manipulation, and the volatile nature of underlying assets.
While these issues remain unresolved, Spot Ethereum ETFs arguably hold the potential to enhance acceptance, liquidity, and interest within the Ethereum ecosystem. That said, the path could be a rocky one and the future of Ethereum, like the wider crypto landscape, remains shrouded in speculation and regulatory uncertainty.
Source: Cryptonews
