Ethereum (ETH) ETF: SEC Delays Decision On BlackRock’s Proposal Again, Regulator Requests Public Feedback
The speculation surrounding the approval of an Ethereum (ETH) spot ETF (exchange-traded fund) has created expectations among crypto investors. After the historic approval and launch of Bitcoin spot ETFs in the US in January, all eyes have turned to the May 23rd deadline.
In the most recent development, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has delayed the decision to approve or deny BlackRock’s Ethereum ETF proposal for a second time. Instead, the US regulator is now seeking the public’s feedback concerning the investment products based on the second largest cryptocurrency.
BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Spot ETF Yet To Be Approved
BlackRock filed for an ETH spot ETF back in November of 2023. The firm’s proposal for its iShares Ethereum Trust is designed to track the price performance of Ether closely.
Fidelity, another giant in the asset management industry, submitted its proposal for an Ethereum spot ETF the same month as BlackRock. Other firms like Franklin Templeton, Grayscale, and Ark Invest have also filed for the exchange-traded product (ETP) and are awaiting approval by the SEC.
In January, the US regulatory agency delayed the decision timeline on BlackRock’s proposal to March. The commission argued that it found it “appropriate” to designate a longer examination period to consider the proposed rule change to list and trade shares of the iShares Ethereum Trust and the “issues raised therein.”
Now that March has come, the US regulator delayed its decision again. The Monday filing shows that the SEC is “instituting proceedings under Section 19(b)(2)(B) of the Act12 to determine whether the proposed rule change should be approved or disapproved.”
The institution of proceedings, as the document explains, does not indicate that the regulator has reached a decision. The SEC considers this measure appropriate given “the legal and policy issues raised by the proposed rule change.”
