SEC Approves 11 Spot Bitcoin ETFs

On Thursday, six spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds are expected to start trading on stock exchanges from Cboe Global Markets, according to a notice posted on CBOE's website. However, the listings still need to be approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. CoinDesk reports: The Ark 21 (ARKB), Fidelity (FBTC), Franklin Templeton (EZBC), Invesco (BTCO), VanEck (HODL) and WisdomTree (BTCW) bitcoin ETFs appeared on the exchange operator's 'New Listings' page on Wednesday. The listing doesn't mean that the ETFs will be approved by SEC. The commission still needs to approve the applicants' 19b-4 and S1 filings.

'We are still awaiting SEC approval of our spot bitcoin ETFs,' a Cboe spokesperson said. 'The notices posted to our website are standard procedure in preparation of an ETF launch.' The notice comes a day after the SEC's X account was 'compromised,' posting an unauthorized tweet regarding bitcoin ETFs.

UPDATE: The SEC has approved the listing and trading of 11 spot bitcoin exchange-trading product (ETP) shares, including those of Grayscale, Bitwise and Hashdex. SEC Chair Gary Gensler writes: Today, the Commission approved the listing and trading of a number of spot bitcoin exchange-traded product (ETP) shares. I have often said that the Commission acts within the law and how the courts interpret the law. Beginning under Chair Jay Clayton in 2018 and through March 2023, the Commission disapproved more than 20 exchange rule filings for spot bitcoin ETPs. One of those filings, made by Grayscale, contemplated the conversion of the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust into an ETP.

We are now faced with a new set of filings similar to those we have disapproved in the past. Circumstances, however, have changed. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia held that the Commission failed to adequately explain its reasoning in disapproving the listing and trading of Grayscale's proposed ETP (the Grayscale Order).[1] The court therefore vacated the Grayscale Order and remanded the matter to the Commission. Based on these circumstances and those discussed more fully in the approval order, I feel the most sustainable path forward is to approve the listing and trading of these spot bitcoin ETP shares. 'While we approved the listing and trading of certain spot bitcoin ETP shares today, we did not approve or endorse bitcoin,' concludes Gensler. 'Investors should remain cautious about the myriad risks associated with bitcoin and products whose value is tied to crypto.' The full statement can be read here.

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