Ethereum
Will they capture the same buzz in the market?
The launch of Ethereum spot exchange traded funds Exchange traded funds (ETFs) attracted significant market interest on July 23, with initial inflows surpassing $100 million. This is a notable change from the previous four days of outflows for U.S. spot Ether ETFs, which saw a total of $33.67 million in new investments.
This figure was, however, partly offset by an outflow of $120.28 million from Grayscale’s Ethereum Trust (ETHE). However, many crypto analysts believe that the Ethereum ETF will soon follow bitcoin’s path.
Ethereum ETF to Track Bitcoin
Katalin Tischhauser, head of investment research at Sygnum Bank and a former Goldman Sachs executive, predicted that Spot Ether exchange-traded funds could attract as much as $10 billion in assets under management in their first year.
She also predicted that Bitcoin ETFs could see inflows of $30 billion to $50 billion in their first 12 months, with Ethereum products likely following the same path.
Tischhauser noted that investing in Ethereum offers distinct advantages over Bitcoin. While Bitcoin is primarily viewed as a store of value, Ethereum’s value comes from revenue and cash flow. This makes Ether more relevant to traditional institutional investors compared to the perception of Bitcoin as “digital gold.”
Fee waivers to attract institutional investors
To attract institutional investors, several ETF issuers are waiving fees for their Ethereum spot funds. Franklin Templeton announced a 0.19% sponsorship fee, but will waive it for the first $10 billion in assets for six months. Meanwhile, Bitwise and VanEck will charge a 0.20% fee through 2025.
BlackRock revised its registration statement for its spot Ethereum ETF, ETHA, to include a 0.25% management fee. Grayscale launched its Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust with the same 0.25% fee.
Ethereum ETFs Exclude Staking
The enthusiasm is, however, tempered by the lack of staking rewards of these ETFs. In May, BlackRock, Grayscale and Bitwise removed staking provisions from their SEC filings after discussions with the SEC.
As traditional investment institutions are limited by regulations and legal constraints, they can only invest through ETFs, without resorting to staking.
Also see: Crypto News Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum Brace for Volatility as Fed Holds Rates