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U.S. SEC Gives Green Light to Spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs

Kicking off the year in January 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved 11 spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), signaling a regulatory milestone and drawing significant interest from institutional investors. As of today, a total of 12 spot bitcoin ETFs exist, collectively holding more than 1 million bitcoins. This newfound accessibility sparked a wave of institutional demand for bitcoin. Blackrock’s Ishares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), for instance, earned the title of the “greatest” ETF launch in history for its outstanding performance.

While Grayscale’s GBTC held around 620,000 BTC at the start of the year, the 12 funds managed to accumulate another 580,000 bitcoin. Around 413,165 BTC was removed from GBTC and dispersed to other funds. Source: timechainindex.com.

Not stopping there, the SEC surprised the market with approvals for spot ether ETFs as well. On July 23, 2024, nine ether ETFs made their debut, garnering an impressive $2.64 billion in positive inflows since launch. These funds currently manage around $12.19 billion worth of ether, representing 3% of the asset’s total market value, according to sosovalue.com. Meanwhile, the 12 bitcoin ETFs collectively hold $106.40 billion in BTC, equating to 5.69% of bitcoin’s overall market capitalization.