The US Securities and Exchange Commission has approved the first spot bitcoin exchange traded funds in a watershed moment that cryptocurrency enthusiasts are betting will draw new retail and institutional investors into the market. The top American securities regulator cleared 11 ETFs to list, with sponsors ranging from established players such as Fidelity and Invesco to digitally focused newcomers including Grayscale and Ark Invest.
The first funds — which trade on exchanges like stocks and enjoy special tax treatment in the US — are expected to start trading as soon as Thursday morning, when BlackRock will ring the opening bell at Nasdaq to promote its iShares Bitcoin Trust. The approval comes after months of anticipation and a bitter legal battle. It also caps a wild 24 hours that saw hackers briefly seize control of the SEC’s account on the social media site X and falsely claim that the applications had already been approved, prompting sharp swings in bitcoin’s pric