After eight years, a U.S. Bitcoin ETF is finally here. But what is it exactly?
Why it matters… Much of the excitement around BTC ETFs comes from investors’ belief that such funds could broadly appeal to traders who aren’t yet comfortable with the idea of buying crypto directly. (And indeed, existing crypto ETFs in Canada and Latin America have been big hits.) While these first futures-based BTC ETFs might hold more appeal for advanced traders looking to diversify portfolios with indirect exposure to bitcoin, some analysts predict that they’ll pave the way for ETFs that hold crypto directly. According to Douglas Yones, the head of exchange-traded products at the NYSE: “This is an exciting step but not the last.”
After eight years, a U.S. Bitcoin ETF is finally here. But what is it exactly?
After eight years, a U.S. Bitcoin ETF is finally here. But what is it exactly?
Why it matters… Much of the excitement around BTC ETFs comes from investors’ belief that such funds could broadly appeal to traders who aren’t yet comfortable with the idea of buying crypto directly. (And indeed, existing crypto ETFs in Canada and Latin America have been big hits.) While these first futures-based BTC ETFs might hold more appeal for advanced traders looking to diversify portfolios with indirect exposure to bitcoin, some analysts predict that they’ll pave the way for ETFs that hold crypto directly. According to Douglas Yones, the head of exchange-traded products at the NYSE: “This is an exciting step but not the last.”

In recent weeks, as Bitcoin chugged back above $60,000, one category of crypto headline was almost impossible to miss: the imminent arrival of the first-ever “Bitcoin futures ETF.” Yesterday, ProShares Bitcoin Strategy fund (BITO) listed on the New York Stock Exchange after a 75-day review by the SEC. The milestone arrived eight years after the Winklevoss twins applied for the first Bitcoin ETF — back when a bitcoin cost about $90. So why now? And just what the heck is a Bitcoin futures ETF? Let’s dive in.

  • ETFs, or exchange-traded funds, — a $6.7 trillion industry — are popular with everyone from retirement-savings investors to giant Wall Street funds. ETFs are similar to mutual funds — they provide investors exposure to an asset (like gold) or a basket of assets (like tech stocks). They also tend to have low fees and, as the name implies, are traded on major stock exchanges, meaning they can be bought or sold via any major brokerage.
  • Futures ETFs are distinct from spot-market ETFs, which invest directly in an asset. Proshares BITO invests in BTC futures, which are a bundle of contracts to buy BTC at a future date for a specific price. BTC futures tend to be correlated with bitcoin prices (meaning they roughly move up and down together), but they aren’t exact mirrors of each other. 
  • SEC Chair Gary Gensler acknowledged futures-based BTC ETFs in remarks this year, citing the “significant investor protections” provided by the Investment Act of 1940 for futures-based trading (one legal analyst disputed this rationale). However, spot-based BTC ETFs and other parts of the crypto market still lack regulatory clarity (read our policy proposal).
  • Several additional futures-based BTC ETFs are expected to launch by the end of October, including Valkyrie’s BTFD fund (a sly joke?). In total, about 40 crypto ETF applications — including Ethereum funds and more — have been submitted to the SEC, which has a history of extending deadlines for rulings on digital asset ETFs.
  • More than 24 million shares of BITO (worth nearly $1 billion) traded on Tuesday, as the fund became the second-most heavily traded fund on record — “a watershed moment for the crypto industry,” according to Bloomberg. Retail traders were hungry for shares, with BITO becoming the most-bought asset on Fidelity’s platform in the first few hours of trading. Bitcoin prices rose as well — breaking the $64,000 mark for the first time since April. 

 

Why it matters… Much of the excitement around BTC ETFs comes from investors’ belief that such funds could broadly appeal to traders who aren’t yet comfortable with the idea of buying crypto directly. (And indeed, existing crypto ETFs in Canada and Latin America have been big hits.) While these first futures-based BTC ETFs might hold more appeal for advanced traders looking to diversify portfolios with indirect exposure to bitcoin, some analysts predict that they’ll pave the way for ETFs that hold crypto directly. According to Douglas Yones, the head of exchange-traded products at the NYSE: “This is an exciting step but not the last.”