Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seifert said he and his colleagues believe a spot Ethereum ETF could launch around July 15, when the application process is finalized.
Seyfarth I made a prediction In a social media post on July 3, he said, “I have low confidence in the release date prediction at this time.”
The prediction comes in the wake of Bitwise’s July 3 amendment to its spot Ethereum ETF application. Seyffart noted that the only significant change was the addition of a six-month fee waiver for the first $500 million in assets. Seyffart said:
“The changes were very subtle and (I don’t know) that’s why the ETF isn’t ready to launch in a few weeks.”
He added that there is no formal timetable for approval and that the SEC’s Division of Corporate Finance “takes its time” to approve each fund.
“It’s literally nothing”
Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas said the recent comments contained “literally nothing” and that the fund should have already started trading.
He added that the light-hearted comments allowed Bitwise to revise its application ahead of the July 8 deadline, which Bitwise and other applicants will need to adhere to.
All signs point to a launch still happening this month, Balchunas said.
Meanwhile, ETF Store President Nate Geraci said applicants One more round An amendment that adds a fee before the fund begins trading.
SEC Announces Exchange Approvals in May
On May 23, the SEC approved a change to Rule 19b-4, allowing exchanges to list and trade pending spot Ethereum ETFs. The agency now must approve an S-1 registration statement for asset managers to issue funds, but there is no deadline for doing so.
Balchunas said final approval is guaranteed, adding:
“The good news is that (the SEC) has approved (19-b4s). It’s just logistics, and issuers are at their mercy with the timeline.”
Balchunas previously predicted that a spot Ethereum ETF would launch before July 4, calling the prediction an “over/under” date. He extended The SEC’s request that applicants amend their S-1 registration statements by July 8 was a departure from its previous forecast in late June.
Other applicants have supported the near-term launch of an Ethereum ETF. Galaxy Digital, which has a pending application with Invesco, expects the funds to launch within a few weeks.