In the dynamic landscape of the crypto sector, all eyes are on the potential approval of crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) by the U.S. SEC. Recent speculation suggesting a delay in the approval process, including that of BlackRock, triggered a temporary dip in crypto prices. Amid the uncertainties, rumors are circulating that Goldman Sachs is positioning itself as an authorized participant in the proposed BlackRock and Grayscale crypto ETF.
Cathie Wood is certainly a Rock Star investor and bullish about tech and cryptocurrencies. Born in November 1955 in Los Angeles, California, she is best known as the founder, CEO, and CIO of ARK Invest, a leading investment management firm. She is arguably the world's most influential investor in technology today and has earned a reputation as an evangelist for disruptive innovations. Meet her on FinTelegram.
Fidelity Investments, a prominent asset management firm, is making another attempt to launch a spot Bitcoin ETF. This move follows BlackRock's recent filing for a spot bitcoin ETF, despite the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)'s historical resistance. WisdomTree, VanEck, Invesco, and Ark Invest, led by celebrity investor Cathie Wood, have taken steps toward their own Bitcoin funds, aligning them closer to BlackRock's application.
BlackRock, one of the world's largest asset management firms, has taken its initial steps towards introducing a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). On Thursday, the company submitted an application to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch the iShares Bitcoin Trust. If approved, this ETF would provide investors with convenient access to cryptocurrency through a product offered by one of Wall Street's largest companies.
The big players in the global crypto scene are waging war against each other. New York-based hedge fund Fir Tree Capital Management is suing Grayscale Investments for information to investigate potential mismanagement and conflicts of interest at its $10.7 billion Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), Bloomberg reports. GBTC is trading at a 43% discount to the value of the Bitcoin it holds, partly because the firm issued many shares in the past few years and didn’t redeem any of them.
The liquidity crisis in the crypto segment continues to spread. It looks like hardly any crypto exchange, broker, or lender will emerge unscathed from the bankruptcy tsunami. This also applies to Bitcoin miners who sell their Bitcoins almost as fast as they mine. Bitcoin miners are selling their coins at record levels, last seen in 2016. Most big mining players in the U.S face severe financial pressure, and some have already filed for bankruptcy. It seems to be the endgame!
There is currently sentiment on Twitter against the next crash candidate in the crypto space. Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), the world’s largest cryptocurrency fund, has become caught up in the FTX crypto aftermath. The share price of the $10.5bn GBTC, which owns 3.5% of the world’s bitcoin, has plummeted to a 39% discount to the NAV. Troubled crypto lender BlockFi, GBTC's second-largest shareholder, allegedly prepares for bankruptcy!
The US crypto investment firm Grayscale Investments (https://grayscale.com) has sued the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) after the regulator rejected its application to transform its flagship Grayscale Bitcoin Trust into a spot Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF). The SEC rejected Grayscale’s application because the $40B Bitcoin Trust failed to meet consumer protection requirements including measures “designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices.”
The BTC is currently oscillating around $37,000 with a resulting market cap of around $680B. ETH is holding at over $1,200 with a market cap of around $140B. No surprise that new crypto-related financial instruments are emerging, such as Greg King's Osprey Bitcoin Trust (www.ospreyfunds.io), whose shares started to trade on the OTC market in New York a few days ago. This has given competition to Barry Silbert's Grayscale Bitcoin Trust and may drive additional demand for BTC.
More and more traditional investors, and especially institutional investors, want to diversify into crypto assets without getting involved in crypto exchanges or OTC themselves. They invest in exchange-traded securities that have a direct crypto connection. In the U.S., the market leader is Grayscale Investments with several crypto-related products, and in Europe, Germany's ETC Group is one of the market leaders. Trading in crypto-related products exploded in early 2021.
The crypto bull-run happened amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Bitcoin (BTC) finished 2020 just shy of $30,000 with a market cap of around $530 billion. A year ago, the price had been $7,100. 2020 was the year of institutional investors and PayPal's entry. With the crypto explosion, the digital Assets Under Management (AUM) of Barry Silbert's pioneering Grayscale Investments crypto trusts have surpassed the $20 billion mark. That's quite something, isn't it?