An impending U.S. government shutdown may be accelerating the launch of Ethereum futures ETFs, analysts suggest.
Ethereum futures exchange-traded funds (ETFs) could start trading for the first time in the United States as early as next week, according to Bloomberg analysts.
On Sept. 28, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst James Seyffart said it was “looking like the SEC is gonna let a bunch of Ethereum futures ETFs go next week potentially.”
His comments were in response to fellow ETF analyst Eric Balchunas who said he was hearing that the SEC wanted to “accelerate the launch of Ether futures ETFs.”
“They want it off their plate before the shutdown,” he said, adding that he’s heard the various filers to update their documents by Friday afternoon so they can start trading as early as Tuesday next week.
Looking like the SEC is gonna let a bunch #Ethereum futures ETFs go next week potentially https://t.co/YoBD1d1ay8
— James Seyffart (@JSeyff) September 28, 2023
The U.S. government is expected to shut down at 12:01 am ET on Oct. 1 if Congress fails to agree on or provide funding for the new fiscal year, which is expected to impact the country’s financial regulators among other federal agencies.
Neither specified their sources for this latest update on the long list of crypto ETFs in the queue.
There are 15 Ethereum futures ETFs from nine issuers currently awaiting approval, according to the analysts in a Sept. 27 note.
Companies proposing an Ethereum futures or hybrid ETF product include VanEck, ProShares, Grayscale, Volatility Shares, Bitwise, Direxion, and Roundhill.
The analysts gave Ethereum futures ETFs a 90% chance of launching in October with Valkyrie’s Bitcoin futures product (BTF) poised to become the first to hold Ethereum exposure on Oct. 3.
“We expect pure Ethereum futures ETFs to start trading the following week thanks to Volatility Shares’ actions.”
However, “we don’t expect all of them to launch,” said the analysts.
Related: Ether ETF applications flood the SEC as ProShares files the 11th
In August, Cointelegraph reported that Ethereum futures ETFs may be approved in October causing an 11% spike in ETH prices at the time. ETH prices have only gained 1% on the day and are hovering just over $1,600 at the time of writing.
However, crypto futures products aren’t as hotly anticipated as their spot-based alternatives. There have already been Bitcoin futures ETFs in the United States since 2021.
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