Canada had the world’s first bitcoin ETF in 2021. Now it beat the U.S. with an $XRP ETF. It’s way past time for the U.S. to catch up and get crypto market structure legislation done.
3 $XRP ETFs launched on the TSX on June 18. Source: TSX
Evolve Funds Group Inc.’s Evolve $XRP ETF began trading on June 18 under the tickers $XRP (CAD Unhedged) and $XRP.U (USD). Elliot Johnson, Chief Investment Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Evolve, stated: “ $XRP is built for real-world utility, enabling fast, low-cost cross-border payments and decentralized exchange functionality.” The Evolve Fund will invest in long-term holdings of $XRP, acquired through Coinbase and other vetted platforms, with its net asset value calculated using the CME CF $XRP-Dollar Reference Rate. Evolve emphasized that the fund will not use derivatives, nor will it actively trade $XRP, instead adjusting holdings in response to subscriptions and redemptions.
Purpose Investments Inc. also launched its Purpose $XRP ETF (TSX: XRPP) on June 18 after receiving a final prospectus receipt from Canadian regulators. Vlad Tasevski, Chief Innovation Officer at Purpose, remarked: “The OSC’s granting of a receipt for the Purpose $XRP ETF prospectus reinforces Canada’s global leadership in building a regulated digital asset ecosystem.” The Purpose ETF offers CAD-hedged, CAD non-hedged, and USD units, and is eligible for tax-advantaged accounts.
3IQ Corp. marked its own significant entry with the 3IQ $XRP ETF (TSX: XRPQ, XRPQ.U), celebrating the launch by ringing the closing bell on the TSX. Pascal St-Jean, President and CEO of 3IQ, stated: “ $XRP has demonstrated significant growth potential over the past decade, and this groundbreaking strategy offers Canadian and qualified global investors a transparent, low-cost and tax-efficient way to securely access that opportunity.” Ripple Labs is an early investor in the fund, which debuts with a 0% management fee for the first six months.
The surge in $XRP ETF offerings in Canada has invigorated market optimism for potential approval in the United States. Many observers see this as a sign of shifting regulatory dynamics at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which has faced growing pressure to embrace more pro-crypto policies. Industry advocates argue that recent developments demonstrate increasing regulatory clarity, setting the stage for broader institutional adoption of crypto assets and establishing a stronger foundation for future financial innovation.