The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has given initial approval for Bitwise’s spot Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF).
The SEC confirmed that the filing received accelerated approval. This came after the regulator approved similar ETFs last month.
SEC Approves Bitwise’s Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF
On January 30, the SEC approved NYSE Arca’s 19b-4 filing. The filing allows Bitwise’s combined Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF to be listed and traded.
According to the filing, the fund’s asset allocation will closely reflect the relative market capitalizations of Bitcoin and Ethereum. Furthermore, its holdings would be limited to these two cryptocurrencies and cash reserves.
Notably, according to the SEC, the filing received accelerated approval. The agency determined that the filing was substantially similar to other approved spot crypto ETFs, which allowed for an expedited approval process.
“The Commission finds good cause to approve the Proposal prior to the 30th day after the date of publication of notice of Amendment No. 126 in the Federal Register,” the SEC stated.
The development follows the SEC’s approval of the first-ever combined Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs from Hashdex and Franklin Templeton in December 2024.
“Because hashdex and Franklin were already approved it made sense that this would also be approved in short order,” Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart pointed out on X.
Bloomberg Senior ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas also commented on the decision on social media platform X. He said that the decision was “news but expected.”
“Even Gensler’s SEC would approve these,” Balchunas wrote.
Balchunas also highlighted the speed of the SEC’s decision. He noted that the approval process took only 45 days instead of the standard 240-day review period.
“I really want to interpret this as a sign the new SEC will be faster but no way to know really. Litecoin on deck, know more soon,” he added.
NYSE Arca filed the 19b-4 on November 26, 2024. After a public comment period and a revision to the filing on January 21, 2025, the SEC decided to fast-track its approval. The approval adds to Bitwise’s growing footprint in the crypto ETF space.
The investment manager has also submitted applications for Solana (SOL), XRP (XRP), and Dogecoin (DOGE) ETFs. Nonetheless, given its higher volatility and speculative nature, whether the SEC will approve a meme coin ETF remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, the Bitwise 10 Crypto Index Fund also remains under review. This fund is designed to track the performance of the top cryptocurrencies.
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