Amid increasing speculation about the possible approval of a spot Ether (ETH) exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the United States, global investment manager VanEck’s ETF has been listed by the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) under the ticker symbol “ETHV.”
The DTCC, a key American financial market infrastructure provider, offers clearing, settlement, and transaction reporting services to market participants. A listing on the DTCC is considered an essential step before receiving final approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Currently, VanEck’s ETF is designated as inactive on the DTCC website, meaning it cannot be processed until it obtains the necessary regulatory approvals. Notably, VanEck is not the first to list a spot ETH ETF with the DTCC; Franklin Templeton’s spot ETH ETF was listed on the platform a month ago.
The DTCC’s list includes both active ETFs that can be processed and those that are inactive, awaiting necessary regulatory clearances.
Additionally, reports indicate that SEC officials have contacted Nasdaq, the Chicago Board Options Exchange, and the New York Stock Exchange to update and amend existing spot Ether ETF applications.
May 23 is the final deadline for the SEC’s decision on VanEck’s spot Ether ETF application. Speculation had previously leaned towards a probable denial of spot ETH ETFs, but the SEC’s recent actions have shifted perceptions.
Moreover, applicants have made key revisions to their proposals, removing staking rewards to address concerns from the SEC. Unlike Bitcoin, Ethereum’s proof-of-stake consensus protocol allows users to stake their assets on the network, contributing to its security in return for a yield, currently around 3%.
Before Bloomberg ETF analysts Eric Balchunas and James Seyffart dramatically increased their odds of spot Ethereum ETF approvals from 25% to 75% on Monday, Ark Invest revised its application last week by removing the staking component. Following suit, Fidelity amended its S-1 registration statement on Tuesday, and Grayscale updated its preliminary proxy statement, eliminating all references to staking or staking rewards. Initially, these filings had proposed that a portion of ether could be staked with providers via the funds.
The updated filings likely address the SEC’s concerns about staking cryptocurrencies. For example, the SEC sued Coinbase in June 2023 for offering staking services, claiming it violated securities laws.
The SEC has key deadlines on Thursday and Friday to decide whether to approve the applications for spot Ethereum ETFs submitted by VanEck and Ark Invest, respectively.
