Grayscale CEO advocates for spot Bitcoin ETF choices to achieve approval

Grayscale CEO Michael Sonnenshein urged regulators to approve spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) choices in an announcement on Feb. 5.

Sonnenshein wrote in a submit on X:

“… I feel it’s by no means been extra vital … to advocate for the event of a sturdy listed choices marketplace for spot Bitcoin ETFs. Though GBTC has been within the public market since 2015, it was by no means accompanied by listed choices, as they aren’t a function of the OTC Market.”

Elsewhere, he stated that comparable merchandise needs to be handled equally, writing:

“The identical manner bitcoin futures ETFs and spot bitcoin ETFs ought to (and now are) handled the identical, so too ought to listed choices on these merchandise.”

He famous that the New York Inventory Trade (NYSE) and different nationwide securities exchanges have lately submitted filings that might permit choices buying and selling on commodity-based ETFs like Grayscale’s personal GBTC fund.

The SEC should now take these purposes into consideration. Sonnenshein famous that though Bitcoin futures ETF choices had been rapidly launched by an automated approval course of, spot Bitcoin ETF choices should undergo an extended approval course of just like the method for every underlying fund.

Sonnenshein known as choices “good for buyers.” He stated that choices help value discovery, permit for higher navigation of market situations, and generate earnings. He famous that this is applicable to each retail buyers and institutional buyers alike.

SEC could resolve on choices earlier than 12 months finish

The U.S. Securities and Trade Fee is at present within the strategy of dealing with numerous spot Bitcoin ETF purposes. The company opened feedback on BlackRock’s Nasdaq-listed fund and numerous Cboe BZX-listed funds on Jan. 19.

Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart has steered that a choice may happen between February and September 2024. Separate reviews from Reuters counsel {that a} choice may happen as late as December 2024; that later date is partly because of the risk that each the SEC and the Commodity Futures Buying and selling Fee (CFTC) might want to grant approval.

The SEC in any other case authorised numerous underlying spot Bitcoin ETFs on Jan. 10. Grayscale was one among a number of corporations to achieve approval at the moment.

Grayscale’s GBTC ETF, transformed from an present fund, had $20.5 billion in belongings beneath administration (AUM) as of Feb. 2. This makes it the spot Bitcoin largest ETF at current, although it additionally experiences appreciable outflows.