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The listing of a spot ether ETF by the end of June is "a legit possibility," Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas said after BlackRock ( BLK ) filed an amended S-1 form, revealing a "seed capital investor" had purchased the initial shares for the proposed product. "On May 21, 2024, the Seed Capital Investor, an affiliate of the Sponsor, subject to conditions, purchased the Seed Creation Baskets, comprising 400,000 Shares at a per-Share price equal to $25.00," the S-1 form showed. "The net asset value of the Trust was $10,000,000." Subject to regulatory approval, assets held in the ETF can be redeemed for cash or even ether. The iShares Ethereum Trust ether ETF will list and trade under "ETHA."
The New York Stock Exchange would consider offering crypto trading if the regulatory status was clearer, the company's president said at Consensus 2024 in Austin, Texas. Lynn Martin referred to cryptocurrency trading as "an opportunity to look at," in a panel discussion on Wednesday. "The fact that you've seen $58 billion or so come to the ETFs has been a strong sign that the market is looking for regulation in traditional structures," Martin said. "So, hopefully, the [SEC] saw the inflows and said, 'Hey, this makes a lot of sense,' considering bitcoin ETFs have been a tremendous success." NYSE's U.S.-based rival, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange is planning to launch spot crypto trading to clients, the Financial Times reported earlier this month.