Cboe files multiple amended documents seeking approval for Ether ETF listing
The exchange filed an amended 19b-4 with the Securities and Exchange Commission seeking approval to list the ETF.
Helen Brown | Edited by Nikhilesh De Updated 11 Mar 2025 16:38 UTC Published 11 Mar 2025 15:49 UTC
What is important to know:
- Cboe has filed a request for permission to bet on ether spot ETFs, which could signal a change in SEC policy under new leadership.
- The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) previously rejected ETF staking, but with Commissioner Mark Ueda appointed as acting chairman, analysts expect the rule to be revisited this year.
- In addition to ether staking, companies are expanding their ETF offerings to other digital assets, including Solana, XRP, Sui, and Aptos.
National stock exchange Cboe is asking the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for permission to list in several ether (ETH) ETFs, which has led to a 2% rise in the token's price over the past 24 hours.
Before the funds launched in July, several issuers included staking in their filings. However, the SEC then required them to remove the feature because the commission did not allow it at the time.
Cboe, which works with five ether-based ETF issuers including Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, VanEck and Invesco/Galaxy, filed amended 19b-4 filings on Tuesday for the Fidelity Ethereum Fund (FETH) and Franklin Ethereum ETF (EZET) to allow staking.
The move comes after former SEC Chairman Gary Gensler stepped down shortly before the inauguration of President Donald Trump, who has taken a positive approach to cryptocurrencies, in January.
Trump’s nominee to lead the SEC, Paul Atkins, has not yet been scheduled for a confirmation hearing or vote in the Senate. Commissioner Mark Uyeda will continue to serve as acting chairman until Atkins is sworn in. Under Uyeda’s leadership, the SEC has taken several encouraging steps toward other cryptocurrency ETF applications, raising hopes that the commissioners will pass a favorable ruling on staking.
Cboe’s staking request will likely be approved, said James Seyfarth, an ETF analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. “There are still issues to be resolved, but we expect the SEC to approve ETF staking this year,” he added.
In addition to staking, companies have filed to launch ETFs for various digital assets. Last week, companies registered entities in Delaware for Sui (SUI) and Aptos (APT), and the SEC is already reviewing a number of applications for Solana (SOL) and XRP (XRP), among others.
Fix (11 Mar 2025 16:40 UTC): Fixed Cboe descriptor.
