Spot Ethereum ETFs get final sign off to begin trading Tuesday

Some spot Ethereum ETH -1.75% exchange-traded funds have received the go-ahead and can begin trading on Tuesday, following weeks of back-and-forth on edits to registration statements. 

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission allowed registration forms from 21Shares, Bitwise , BlackRock , Fidelity, Franklin Templeton , VanEck and Invesco Galaxy to go effective as of Monday afternoon. 

"The launch of the 21Shares Core Ethereum ETF (CETH) marks a significant milestone for 21Shares and for U.S. investors. Today's approval represents further proof that crypto as an asset class is here to stay," said Ophelia Snyder, co-founder and president of 21Shares, in an emailed statement. 

Firms looking to launch their spot Ethereum ETFs received the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's approval of 19b-4 forms in May . However, they still needed their registration statements to go effective before launching. The approvals were unexpected because there had been a lack of engagement between the SEC and issuers. In the week leading up to the deadlines, however, the agency seemingly had a change of heart and began letting exchanges know they would approve of the Ethereum ETFs that week. 

Cynthia Lo Bessette, head of Digital Asset Management at Fidelity, said the firm's spot Ethereum ETF will allow investors to gain exposure to ether through "thoughtful index and product design supported by a dedicated operations and trading team and industry-leading security."

"This is exemplary of Fidelity's rich history and commitment to meeting the evolving needs of our customers," Lo Bessette added. 

Spot bitcoin ETFs were approved earlier this year and have since brought in billions of dollars. Ethereum ETFs may attract lower demand than Bitcoin ETFs and may get 10 to 15% of the assets that bitcoin products received, said senior Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas in an interview with The Block in May.

“That would put them at like $5 to $8 billion, which, again, for any normal launch in the first couple of years. That's pretty good," he said. 

Nate Geraci, president of The ETF Store, said at an event on X hosted by The Block on Monday that the current spot ether market is less than a third of the size of the bitcoin market. 

"In my mind, that's a reasonable proxy for what to expect from spot ether ETFs," Geraci added. "I think we'll see about a third of the demand of what we've seen from spot bitcoin ETFs." 

Following the approval of spot bitcoin ETFs, exchanges began to consider trading options on those products but have not yet gotten regulatory approval. Options are contracts that represent the right for investors to buy or sell at an agreed-upon price at a specified date and time.  

Next, firms could decide to include staking in their spot Ethereum ETF products. The Ethereum ETFs that have been approved initially had staking components, but they were removed. The SEC has taken issue with staking services in the past. 

If firms wanted to include staking or options for their spot Ethereum ETFs, they would have to get the SEC's approval, said Bloomberg ETF Analyst James Seyffart on Monday during the X event. 

"I think it's a matter of when, not if," Seyffart said. "It's just figuring out what that when is."

Variant Chief Legal Officer Jake Chervinsky said it's a when, not if, for the possibility of staking in spot Ethereum ETFs in a post on X on July 17.

"There's no good reason why the SEC should prevent ETH ETFs from staking," Chervinsky said on X. Staked ETH isn't a security, and investors can fully understand the risk of a staked product + decide for themselves if they want to take that risk. It'll take a while, but this is 'when,' not 'if,' imo."

Updated at 9:14 p.m. UTC time on July 22 to include quote from Fidelity

Updated at 9:16 p.m. UTC time on July 22 to include Franklin Templeton