VanEck CEO Jan van Eck is championing a shift in focus towards decreasing transaction fees on Ethereum and Bitcoin, rather than pushing for another spot ETF. He argues that the unpredictable and often high fees significantly hinder both app developers and end-users.
Following Fidelity's lead, Grayscale Investments has introduced the capability to utilize the ETH in its trust for staking, as part of its application to register a spot Ethereum ETF.
Eric Balchunas, the Senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg, has scaled back his optimism regarding the approval of a spot Ethereum ETF, now assessing the chances at 35% by the May deadline. He emphasizes, however, that approval remains a possibility, especially looking ahead to the longer term.
Asset management firm AllianceBernste posits that Ethereum (ETH) might be the only cryptocurrency to follow Bitcoin in receiving the green light from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the launch of an exchange-traded fund (ETF). Analysts from the firm estimate a 50% chance of an Ethereum ETF being approved by May 2024, with the likelihood nearing 100% by the end of the year.
Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe) pulled out its application for Global X Bitcoin Trust ETF which would have been operated in partnership with Coinbase.
Bloomberg’s Senior ETF Analyst, Eric Balchunas, humorously notes, "I can’t escape bitcoin ETFs even if I tried..."
Bitwise, an investment company, has thrown its hat into the ring with an application for a spot Ethereum ETF, aligning itself with industry heavyweights such as BlackRock, Grayscale, Fidelity, VanEck, and Ark/21Shares.
Despite considerable trading activity and appeals from some prominent clients, Vanguard, the asset management company, persists in its refusal to add Bitcoin ETFs to its investment product lineup.
Valkyrie Chief Investment Officer Steven McClurg believes that a spot Ethereum ETF is unlikely to come soon, though it could be approved by 2026. He advises against drawing parallels with the Bitcoin ETF, highlighting significant differences between the two cryptocurrencies.
SEC Chairman Gary Gensler, in a CNBC interview, emphasized that the recent approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs shouldn't be seen as an endorsement for similar products, including Ethereum ETFs.
HANetf, Europe’s independent ETF provider, predicts the closure of several American Bitcoin ETFs due to profitability challenges. This situation could arise from excessively low fees set by major players, which small or developing investment firms cannot match.
Within just the first six days of spot bitcoin ETF trading, the total assets of these funds have soared to roughly 95,000 BTC ($4 billion). Fidelity (FBTC) and BlackRock (IBIT) are at the forefront, collectively holding 64,000 bitcoins.
