UPDATE: On Tuesday, Grayscale indeed filed to convert its flagship Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) into a Bitcoin spot ETF. The below story is from Monday.
Grayscale is reportedly moving ahead with plans to convert its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) to a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund backed by physical Bitcoin. A corresponding filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may be submitted early this week, according to a CNBC report.
As of October 15, Grayscale held $52.6 billion in assets under management, with as much as $38.6 billion, or 73% of all funds, allocated to GBTC. However, the trust comes with a number of disadvantages, such as a six-month lock-up period on the investments and a 2% annual management fee.
The fund has also been stuck trading at a discount to Bitcoin since February this year. At press time, the GBTC discount is 15.15%.
Grayscale Bitcoin Trust premium or discount to Net Asset Value (NAV). Source: Ycharts.
Per CNBC, Grayscale decided to move for a spot Bitcoin ETF immediately after the SEC approved ProShares Trust’s futures-based ETF last Friday.
According to the anonymous sources familiar with the matter, the investment firm’s move could be an attempt “to force the SEC’s hand.”
“If they are comfortable with Bitcoin futures, regulators should also be comfortable with the underlying market, the thinking goes,” the source told CNBC.
The SEC green lighting the ProShares futures ETF is largely considered as the primary reason behind Bitcoin’s latest rally above $62,000.
Still, some investors have misgivings about the Bitcoin futures product.
Unlike futures Bitcoin ETFs, that are tied to the CME-traded derivatives contracts, a “proper” Bitcoin ETF is backed by the actual underlying asset. Fees on a futures-based Bitcoin ETF are also reportedly much higher. Matt Hougan, the CIO of Bitwise, said that these products could come with “~6-12%” in fees and total costs.
3/
C. Tail risk: Remember $USO in 2020? Position limits, liquidity, etc — things can break.
In sum: A futures-based Bitcoin ETF comes with ~6-12% all-in costs, ~15% dilution, and tail risk.
Currently, there are over a dozen Bitcoin ETF applications awaiting a decision from the SEC. The last to join this list was Bitwise Asset Management, which filed its application last week.
Barry Silbert, the CEO of Digital Currency Group, Grayscale’s parent company, is among those criticizing futures ETFs as well.
“Friends don't let friends buy and hold futures-based ETFs,” he tweeted on Sunday.
When asked by Preston Pysh, who runs the Investor’s Podcast Network, when exactly Grayscale plans to convert GBTC into a spot Bitcoin ETF, Silbert replied with just two words: “Stay tuned.”
GBTC’s possible conversion into a Bitcoin ETF should not come as a surprise though.
Grayscale first announced such intentions in April 2021, noting that the firm is “100% committed to converting GBTC into an ETF," and that “the timing will be driven by the regulatory environment.”
Daily Debrief Newsletter
Start every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.
Asset manager HashKey Capital has introduced a fund tracking the performance of XRP in Asia, with the aim of fostering institutional adoption in the region for the token that is used for transactions in the Ripple network.
The HashKey XRP Tracker Fund became available on Friday to institutional investors in Asia. The fund marks the first of several planned collaborations between HashKey Capital and Ripple Labs.
XRP is the fourth largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, with a total valu...
Armed with fake Zoom calls, stolen identities, and malware, North Korea’s Lazarus Group has allegedly expanded its crypto infiltration strategy, and the industry is starting to feel it.
Kenny Li, co-founder of Ethereum layer-2 project Manta Network, said he was “targeted” in an elaborate Zoom phishing attempt by Lazarus Group in a tweet Thursday.
🚨 Just got targeted by Lazarus.
A known contact on TG reached out to me to ask for a chat. Scheduled a Zoom call. When I got on the Zoom, it asked m...
Asset manager VanEck has received approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to list an exchange-traded fund tracking blockchain infrastructure builders and related assets.
The fund, called the Onchain Economy ETF, has a tentative debut of May 14, VanEck Head of Digital Assets Research Matthew Sigel said Thursday in a social media post. Boasting the ticker $NODE, the investment vehicle will aim to hold between 30 and 60 assets linked to the blockchain economy.
“The global econo...