Today, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) gave a green light to Valkyrie Investments, a Nashville-based asset management firm, to introduce the first exchange-traded fund (ETF) for Ethereum futures. This marks a critical juncture in digital asset investment in the United States. The SEC, known for its cautious approach to the crypto sphere, allowed Bitcoin ETFs priced off futures contracts trading recently, in October 2021.
Valkyrie joins a consequentially elite circle of firms offering crypto-related ETFs, supplementing its existing Bitcoin Mining ETF. However, the race to establish Ethereum futures ETFs is fierce, with other significant entities including VanEck, Grayscale Investments, and Bitwise all vying for SEC approval.
Apart from Ethereum futures, Valkyrie Investments, along with financial bigwigs like BlackRock and Fidelity, are also investigating the potential of a spot Bitcoin ETF. This would enable a wider group of investors to gain exposure not just to Bitcoin’s future value, but its spot price. However, the SEC has shown a certain reservation to these types of ETFs, primarily due to regulatory concerns.
Valkyrie had initially set an October 3rd rollout for this fund. However, the SEC accelerated the approval process over concerns of a potential U.S. government shutdown affecting its operations and potentially upto two million federal workers. Valkyrie aims to introduce Bitcoin and Ethereum futures under one roof through a combined fund conversion, with trading commencing today.
The SEC’s swift approval also hints at an attempt to maintain market stability if a government shutdown transpires. In contrast to this, the SEC delayed decisions on other spot Bitcoin ETF applications earlier this week, including one from Ark 21Shares, a fund owned by tech investor Cathie Wood. Future public offering companies were also urged to hasten their efforts by SEC Chairman Gary Gensler in light of a potential government shutdown.
SEC’s approval indicates a move towards maturity for the U.S. crypto market. Though it still treads carefully around spot ETFs, there’s a clear willingness to accommodate futures-based products. With more firms readying to offer similar products, the Ether ETF market’s landscape promises much contention.
Source: Cryptonews
