SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce noted that exchanges could expand their criteria for their listing standards over time.
Bloomberg senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas says there’s a “good chance” over 100 crypto ETFs will be launched in the next year.
SEC Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw, the sole Democrat on the commission,
said the agency was “passing the buck” and warned that crypto ETPs are
still new.
In a significant regulatory development, the SEC has authorized new listing standards for cryptocurrency-based funds—a decision that is expected to have far-reaching consequences for digital asset markets. This move has elicited strong reactions across the industry, with many noting the potential for substantial growth in cryptocurrency exchange-traded products (ETPs).
Here’s what’s changed: On Wednesday, the SEC approved proposals from three exchanges that modify the rulebook for commodity-based trust shares. This revision establishes clear, quantifiable requirements for listing such products, essentially streamlining how exchanges can bring crypto ETPs to market.
Traditionally, listing a crypto ETF required the submission of a 19b-4 form, kicking off a review process that could extend up to 240 days. Under the new framework, that review period can shrink to just 75 days and, crucially, ETPs meeting the predefined criteria can bypass the 19b-4 process entirely.
Bloomberg Intelligence Analyst James Seyffart characterized this as the long-awaited “crypto ETP framework,” anticipating a rapid proliferation of spot crypto ETPs in the coming weeks and months. Specifically, the new standards stipulate that any cryptocurrency with a futures contract actively traded on a regulated exchange, such as Coinbase, for at least six months now qualifies for listing.
SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce highlighted the evolving nature of these standards, indicating that exchanges might propose supplementary objective, quantitative criteria in the future—potentially accelerating product launches and increasing regulatory predictability.
Market analysts are projecting that this regulatory shift will usher in a dramatic surge in crypto ETF offerings. According to Bloomberg’s Eric Balchunas, it’s plausible that more than 100 crypto ETFs could launch within the next year. Nate Geraci, President of NovaDius Wealth, summarized the situation succinctly: crypto is entering mainstream finance via ETFs, positioning this structure as a bridge between traditional finance (tradfi) and decentralized finance (defi).
The approval of these standards marks a pivotal transition, not only for regulatory processes but also for the integration of digital assets into asset management and mainstream investment products.
End of an era
The SEC's stance toward crypto has changed dramatically since the start of
the Trump administration in January. President Donald Trump, who has
changed his views toward the industry, is now supportive of crypto and
has launched stablecoins, and has family ties to the decentralized
finance platform World Liberty Financial.
Under the Biden administration, the SEC took a much more cautious approach to
crypto while bringing lawsuits against big players in the space,
including Coinbase and Binance. The agency also applied that approach to
crypto ETFs, but later greenlit spot bitcoin ETFs and then Ethereum
ETFs, following a pivotal court ruling brought by Grayscale.
Trump also tapped crypto-friendly regulator Paul Atkins to lead the SEC.Atkins has since embarked on an initiative called "Project Crypto" to modernize the agency's existing rules around digital assets. On Thursday, Atkins said the agency's approval "helps to maximize investor choice and foster innovation by streamlining the listing process."
“By approving these generic listing standards, we are ensuring that our capital markets remain the best place in the world to engage in the cutting-edge innovation of digital assets," Atkins said in a statement.Jake Chervinsky, chief legal officer at the Variant Fund, called the SEC's approval of the listing standards a "huge deal".
"It’s the end of an era where the SEC allegedly 'protected investors' by denying them access to products they wanted on the venues they preferred," Chervinsky said. "This SEC continues to knock it out of the park.
Solana Policy Institute President Kristin Smith said the SEC is continuing to set clear rules for digital assets.
"These new generic listing standards are a net-positive for U.S. investors, markets, and digital asset innovation," Smith said in a statement.
Excited for the next wave of crypto adoption!
Concerns
SEC Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw, the sole Democrat on the commission,
said the agency was "passing the buck" and warned that crypto ETPs are still new.The Commission is passing the buck on reviewing these proposals and
making the required investor protection findings, in favor of fast tracking these new and arguably unproven products to market," Crenshaw said in a statement.
Crenshaw also voiced concerns over the use of the terms ETP and ETF, given that
ETPs have less oversight and don't have the protections that ETFs do.
If this seems complicated, it is, and the proposal piles on with more confusion and conflation in the form of its eligibility criteria for generically listing these products, Crenshaw.
#Write2Earn #SEC #etf $SOL