- Spot bitcoin ETFs have begun trading on Thursday after the SEC granted approval.
- The ETFs are issued by BlackRock, Fidelity, VanEck, and WisdomTree, among others.
- Here’s a round-up of all the spot bitcoin ETFs and the fees they are charging investors.
Eleven spot bitcoin ETFs began trading today after the Securities and Exchange Commission granted approval on Wednesday in what has ended a years-long saga.
Asset managers from BlackRock to Fidelity are hoping to capture fund flows from a new cohort of investors unwilling to jump through the hoops to buy bitcoin directly. Now, they can gain exposure to bitcoin from the convenience of their brokerage accounts.
With largely similar investment profiles, the ETF issuers are differentiating themselves in other ways.
Some bitcoin funds are relying on ultra-low fees to attract investors. Others have picked ticker symbols in an homage to the crypto investor community. For example, the VanEck Bitcoin Trust trades under the ticker “HODL”, which stands for “hold on [for] dear life”, while the Hashdex Bitcoin ETF trades under the “DEFI” ticker symbol.
On the cost front, some ETFs are even offering temporary fee waivers in a bid to woo investors. For example, Fidelity is charging 0% until July 31, and then raising the fee to 0.25%. So after July 31, for every $10,000 invested in the Fidelity Bitcoin ETF, there will be an annual fee of $25.
Fund companies offering temporary waivers include ARK 21Shares, Bitwise, Fidelity, Invesco, BlackRock, Valkyrie, and WisdomTree.
Meanwhile, Grayscale is betting that its already-established fund, which originally traded over the counter and is being converted to an ETF, will be worth the 1.50% fee they are charging investors.
The spot bitcoin ETFs are similar to spot gold ETFs in that they have to hold the underlying asset. That’s compared to bitcoin futures ETFs, which don’t own bitcoin but instead trade futures contracts tied to the cryptocurrency.
The arrival of spot bitcoin ETFs have led some analysts to suggest that the price for bitcoin will soar to record highs on increased demand thanks to the arrival of spot bitcoin ETFs.
These are the 11 spot bitcoin ETFs that are available to trade and the fees they are charging investors, as of January 11.
