The talk in town is no longer about if a Bitcoin ETF will be approved, but rather when. That means that the approval is currently deemed imminent. However, the crypto market may have to wait a while longer for this to happen as it is unlikely to come into play in 2018. Predictions from various sources indicate that the approval may come sometime in 2019, terming the year as the more realist period for the expected development.
SEC To Review Verdict
Perhaps one of the more important factors that could affect this perception is the issue surrounding the US SEC’s decision to review its earlier verdict to reject ETF approval proposals by the Winklevoss twins. At the moment, the approval seems imminent, but it’s the timing that has some people concerned.
An ETF includes any kind of fund, be it mutual or hedge fund, that is traded within a listed exchange platform. With an ETF, most assets traded are regulated by CFTC or SEC. Currently, very few crypto assets are recognized by these two regulatory bodies. As such, any trading fund would need to list its shareholders as securities. Because of these regulatory challenges, SEC is still wary of approving their ETF proposals.
There Have Been Attempts
There have been noted attempts to get SEC to approve ETF applications, with the most noticeable being the recent proposals presented by the Winklevoss twins in March 2017 and July 2018. However, the two applications were turned down. More applications have followed, from various other parties, with varied revisions and details.
In August 5 2018, a report from the US Equity Research and written by Scott Suh andMichael Graham opined that the imminent approval of a Bitcoin ETF was at the top of the agenda for the majority of institutions seeking to breaking into the new digital asset class. They mentioned the application by SolidX /VanEck as one of the various applications awaiting verdict. Although some major industry players don’t really take a Bitcoin ETF as very necessary, there’s a general consensus that its approval would likely trigger a short-term event and it could well fuel a bullish run.
As for the proposal presented by VanEck/SolidX, the SEC review date has been set for September, and there’s a possibility that this date may be change. This makes 2019 the more realistic timeline for the review and possible approval of a Bitcoin ETF. However, the ball is now in SEC’s court, and the market can only anticipate.
