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 publish on X:

“… I feel it’s by no means been extra necessary … to advocate for the event of a strong 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 characteristic of the OTC Market.”

Elsewhere, he mentioned that related merchandise must be handled equally, writing:

“The identical method 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 Alternate (NYSE) and different nationwide securities exchanges have not too long ago submitted filings that might enable 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 have been rapidly launched by an computerized approval course of, spot Bitcoin ETF choices should undergo an extended approval course of much like the method for every underlying fund.

Sonnenshein known as choices “good for traders.” He mentioned that choices assist value discovery, enable for higher navigation of market circumstances, and generate earnings. He famous that this is applicable to each retail traders and institutional traders alike.

SEC could resolve on choices earlier than yr finish

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

Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart has steered that a call might happen between February and September 2024. Separate stories from Reuters recommend {that a} choice might happen as late as December 2024; that later date is partially as a result of 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 accredited varied 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 property below administration (AUM) as of Feb. 2. This makes it the spot Bitcoin largest ETF at current, although it additionally experiences appreciable outflows.