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Grayscale, a leading investment manager, has announced its intention to launch a smaller version of its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, known as GBTC, through a new product dubbed the “mini” trust.
This new offering, aiming for a listing under the ticker symbol “BTC,” was introduced to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) via an S-1 form on March 11.
Upon SEC approval, the Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust plans to make its debut on the New York Stock Exchange, operating independently from the original GBTC fund.
This innovative trust is designed to distribute shares to current GBTC investors, with an additional contribution of Bitcoin from GBTC itself, although the exact amount remains unspecified.
One of the main goals of this new trust is to provide GBTC shareholders with a tax-efficient method to gain exposure to Bitcoin.
Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart elaborated on the benefits via a March 12 X post, stating, “There is no fee disclosed yet or what % of $GBTC will spin off but pretty sure this will be a non-taxable event for a chunk of those shares to get into a cheaper and cost-competitive product.”
READ MORE: Bitcoin ETFs Will Hold Over 10% of BTC Supply By Q3
The timing of Grayscale’s filing coincides with Bitcoin reaching a record-breaking high of $71,415 on March 11, following Ether’s significant milestone of surpassing the $4,000 mark earlier in the month.
In response to the flourishing cryptocurrency market, asset manager VanEck announced a fee waiver for its Bitcoin Trust ETF, applying to the first $1.5 billion in funds through March 31, 2025, underscoring the competitive environment in the ETF space.
The broader ETF market is also witnessing significant activity, with U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs achieving a historic $10 billion in daily trading volume on March 5.
This surge in activity surpasses the previous record set just a week earlier.
However, the SEC’s lack of communication regarding Ether-based ETFs has led to skepticism about their approval.
Senior Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas expressed concerns about the prospects for Ether ETFs, noting, “The main thing is the fact that we’re 73 days from the final deadline, and there’s been no contact or comments from the SEC to the issuers.
“That’s not a good sign.”
This silence casts doubt on the potential approval of Ether-based ETFs by May, reflecting the regulatory uncertainties surrounding cryptocurrency investments.
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