Cathie Wood, the CEO and CIO of ARK Invest, recently spoke about the pending spot Bitcoin ETF applications in an interview with CNBC. As ARK Invest is actively pursuing a spot Bitcoin ETF, Wood provided insights into the current state of her company’s application. She mentioned that they had responded to the SEC’s request for information, which was made public last week. Wood’s statement hinted at the limited details they could divulge regarding the application.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published initial requests for comments on select spot Bitcoin ETF applications towards the end of September. Although ARK Invest wasn’t initially contacted by the SEC, they responded to the agency’s request by updating their application on October 11. According to Wood, the questions posed by the SEC indicate a potential change in the agency’s stance towards spot Bitcoin ETFs. This shift could signal increased optimism for the approval of Bitcoin ETFs in the future.
Speculation has been rife that a spot Bitcoin ETF might receive approval by the end of the year. Wood offered her perspective on this matter, suggesting that the likelihood of approval might be tied to ARK’s own approval deadline. The SEC has until January 10, 2024, to make a decision on ARK’s proposal. Wood acknowledged that multiple ETFs could be approved simultaneously, echoing her previous statement in August.
The rumor mill started churning when social media platforms buzzed with claims that the SEC had approved BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF application. However, these rumors were quickly debunked, leading to a few hours of chaotic trading. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink addressed this rumor during an interview on Fox Business. Fink stated that he had only heard about it an hour earlier, implying that he was unaware of the alleged approval. Nonetheless, Fink did mention that the recent market rally could be attributed to investors seeking “flight to quality” options amid growing geopolitical tensions related to the conflict between Hamas and Israel. Fink expressed that cryptocurrencies, along with Treasuries and gold, might attract investors seeking safe-haven assets during uncertain times.
As of now, the SEC has not issued any updates regarding spot Bitcoin ETF approvals. Individual members of the SEC have refrained from commenting on the BlackRock approval rumor as well. The future of spot Bitcoin ETFs remains uncertain, and market participants eagerly await any official announcements from the SEC.
The fate of spot Bitcoin ETFs hangs in the balance. The recent developments, such as ARK Invest’s application update and the SEC’s change in approach, have sparked hope among market participants. However, the approval timeline and the possibility of simultaneous approvals for multiple ETFs remain uncertain. Only time will tell whether spot Bitcoin ETFs will become a reality, opening up new investment opportunities in the cryptocurrency market.
Leave a Reply