A Bitcoin ETF, or Exchange-Traded Fund, would be a financial product that lets people invest in Bitcoin without having to buy and store the actual digital currency. Instead, they'd be buying shares of the ETF, much like they might buy shares of a stock or another fund. A "spot" ETF, specifically, would be based on the current, or "spot," price of Bitcoin, rather than future prices.
If the SEC were to approve a Bitcoin spot ETF, it would be a big deal for several reasons. Firstly, it would signal a certain level of trust and acceptance of the bitcoin world by a major regulatory body. Secondly, it could make it easier and potentially more appealing for everyday investors to get involved in Bitcoin, as they wouldn't need to deal with the complexities of owning and storing the cryptocurrency themselves.
By today, several financial institutions (BlackRock, Bitwise, VanEck, and WisdomTree....) have applied to SEC for having their Bitcoin ETF publicly listed on American exchanges. None so far has been accepted.
Will it happen in 2023?
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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not yet made a decision on whether to approve a Bitcoin spot ETF in 2023. However, there are several factors that suggest that the SEC may be more likely to approve a spot ETF this year than in previous years.
First, the SEC has been more receptive to cryptocurrency products in recent years. For example, the SEC has approved several Bitcoin futures ETFs. These ETFs track the price of Bitcoin futures contracts, which are agreements to buy or sell Bitcoin at a specified price in the future.
Second, the SEC has received several applications for Bitcoin spot ETFs. A spot ETF tracks the price of Bitcoin itself, rather than the price of Bitcoin futures contracts. This means that a spot ETF would allow investors to directly invest in Bitcoin, without having to worry about the complexities of futures contracts.
Third, the SEC has indicated that it is open to approving a Bitcoin spot ETF. In a speech in January 2023, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler said that the SEC was "open to" approving a Bitcoin spot ETF, but that the SEC needed to be "comfortable with the underlying markets."
Given these factors, it is possible that the SEC will approve a Bitcoin spot ETF in 2023. However, there is no guarantee that the SEC will approve such an ETF. The SEC may still have concerns about the volatility of the Bitcoin market, or about the potential for manipulation in the Bitcoin market.
Clarification on sharing false spot Bitcoin ETF news Cointelegraph apologizes to its readers and discusses its investigation into what led to the posting of unverified news on X about a spot Bitcoin ETF:ย https://cointelegraph.com/news/clarification-sharing-false-spot-bitcoin-etf-news
