Ark Invest Leads with Pioneering Ethereum ETF Filing
Ark Invest, under the leadership of Cathie Wood, has initiated steps to introduce the first-ever Ethereum ETF in the United States, as per a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday.
The ETF, named the ARK 21Shares Ethereum ETF, bears similarities to recent applications for spot Bitcoin ETFs, which the SEC delayed for further review following Grayscale’s recent legal success.
On September 6, ARK Invest and 21Shares formally requested SEC approval to list spot Ethereum ETF shares on the Cboe BZX Exchange. The ARK 21Shares Ethereum ETF, using Coinbase as a custodian, will benchmark Ether’s performance against the Chicago Mercantile Exchange CF Ether-Dollar Reference Rate.
BOOM: ARK just filed for a Spot Ether ETF, the first one.. prob more coming imminent pic.twitter.com/PjK5aSNPlS
— Eric Balchunas (@EricBalchunas) September 6, 2023
Following the SEC’s delay in deciding on spot Bitcoin ETF applications, including those from major firms like BlackRock, announced on August 31, the spot Bitcoin ETF application from ARK Invest and 21Shares was not part of this delay, with the next decision deadline set for November 11.
While the SEC has received numerous applications for Ethereum ETFs based on futures contracts, ARK Invest’s proposal represents a significant advancement, especially considering that futures-based Bitcoin ETFs have been trading in the U.S. since ProShares’ launch on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021.
With two years having passed since the introduction of futures-based ETFs, the anticipation is growing for Ethereum to debut on Wall Street in this format. There are expectations that the SEC may approve a series of Ethereum futures ETFs, tracking derivative prices traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), as early as October.
More details are available here.
Regarding futures-based Ethereum ETFs, the SEC typically advises applicants to withdraw their applications about a week after submission. However, this time around, these applications remain on the SEC’s desk.
In Wednesday’s application, Ark Invest proposed that the Cboe BZX Exchange’s ability to access information about activity in the CME’s Ethereum futures market should address concerns previously expressed by the SEC.
