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The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is calling for public input on proposed spot Ethereum ETFs, highlighting the regulatory body's continued scrutiny of digital asset funds amid growing investor uncertainty and a lackluster market response.
SEC Seeks Public Input on Ethereum ETFs as Approval Hopes Dim
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has opened a public comment period on several proposed spot Ethereum Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), as per Coingape. The notice focuses on three ETFs: the Fidelity Ethereum Fund, the Bitwise Ethereum Fund, and the Grayscale Ethereum Trust.
The SEC has also stated that it will seek comments on this rule change proposal, citing the Bitwise filing. The agency has set a three-week deadline for public comments, demonstrating its desire to continue scrutinizing these new financial products.
The call for public comments comes as the crypto community's hopes for the approval of spot Ethereum ETFs begin to fade. Time is running out for the SEC's decision on Fidelity, BlackRock, and seven other firms' applications, and there has been little progress.
The market reacted negatively to the Ethereum Dencun update on March 13th, which aimed to reduce transaction fees, resulting in a more than 12% drop in Ether's value. The approval of spot Ethereum ETFs is expected to have a significant impact, much like the increase in institutional demand for the launch of U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs.
However, the SEC's deferral of a decision on Fidelity and BlackRock's requests and the lack of discussion of the assessment procedure escape scrutiny. This contrasts the procedure for spotting Bitcoin ETFs and raises the issue of regulatory barriers to Ethereum financial products.
Analysts Adjust Expectations for Ethereum ETF Approval Amid SEC Silence
By May, Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas revised his forecast for the approval probability of a spot Ethereum ETF. He reduced his estimate from 70% to 30%, reflecting growing investor skepticism.
James Seyffart, another Bloomberg ETF analyst, commented on the SEC's silence on Fidelity's recent filings. He suggested that a lack of communication could benefit the approval process. Seyffart's analysis highlights the obstacles to the approval of spot Ethereum ETFs.
Photo: Microsoft Bing
