When it comes to creating a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has balked at every proposal.
Still that has not stopped those who want to launch such a fund from going before the regulator with their grand ideas.
The latest hopeful is, interestingly, the Cboe. Given its stature, could this be the one to pass muster with the SEC?
Let’s discuss.
The surprise player
The Cboe wants to list and trade SolidX Bitcoin Shares. It went to the SEC after its officials received a proposal from the VanEck SolidX Bitcoin Trust, according to documents published earlier this week.
On June 20, officials from the Cboe BZX Exchange filed with the SEC proposed changes to a particular securities’ rule.
Officials with the Cboe BZX Exchange want to list and trade the shares under BZX Rule 14.11(e)(4),3, which governs the listing and trading of commodity-based trust shares on the BZX exchange.
The VanEck SolidX Bitcoin Trust will be responsible for custody of the trust’s Bitcoin.
The Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE:BK) will be the administrator, the transfer agent and the custodian, with respect to cash the cash custodian of the trust.
The SEC didn’t toss their request out, but instead moved forward to allow comments on the ETF proposal and the rules’ changes.
The players
VanEck is an investment firm. For this ETF effort, it partnered with SolidX, which is a Blockchain startup. Reportedly, this is VanEck's third try to create a Bitcoin investment vehicle.
The terms
According to the documents that were filed, it was clearly stated that the only crypto that would be held in the fund would be Bitcoin.
The filings indicate that the trust will invest solely in Bitcoin. The document goes on to state the following about this ETF’s objective.
“The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of bitcoin, less the expenses of the Trust’s operations. The Trust intends to achieve this objective by investing substantially all of its assets in bitcoin traded primarily in the over-the-counter (“OTC”) markets, though the Trust may also invest in bitcoin traded on domestic and international bitcoin exchanges, depending on liquidity and otherwise at the Trust’s discretion. The Trust is not actively managed. It does not engage in any activities designed to obtain a profit from, or to ameliorate losses caused by, changes in the price of bitcoin.”
The SEC is asking for comments on this proposed rule change from "interested persons."
This article appeared first on Cryptovest
