Flood of Major Altcoin ETFs Await SEC Approval in October

The crypto industry could be set for a flood of new crypto exchange-traded funds in October, with the US Securities and Exchange Commission set to make their final decisions on 16 crypto ETFs next month.  The ETFs are connected to a variety of major altcoins, including Solana (SOL), XRP (XRP), Litecoin (LTC) and memecoin Dogecoin (DOGE), which have final deadlines scattered throughout October. Up for approval first is decentralized exchange Canary’s Litecoin ETF, with a deadline of Oct. 2, followed by asset manager Grayscale’s Solana and Litecoin trust conversion on…

Hashdex Wins SEC Approval for BTC, ETH, XRP, SOL ETF

Key Notes The Hashdex Crypto Index ETF will comprise top crypto assets like Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Solana, and Stellar in its portfolio. XRP and Solana will represent 6.9% and 4.3% of the ETF, respectively, while Bitcoin and Ethereum remain dominant at 72.5% and 14.8%. The SEC’s updated generic listing rules enable crypto ETFs to bypass lengthy reviews, reducing approval times from up to 270 days to 75 days. In a breakthrough development, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the expansion of the Hashdex Nasdaq Crypto Index ETF under…

SEC chair Paul Atkins pushes ‘innovation exemption’ for crypto products

The US Securities and Exchange Commission is working to create an “innovation exemption” that would ease approval of digital-asset products by the end of the year, SEC Chair Paul Atkins said on Tuesday. During an interview on Fox Business, Atkins told anchor Maria Bartiromo that the SEC is working on “rulemaking in the coming months.” We’re looking for an innovation exemption —  to try to get that in place by year end.” An “innovation exemption” would function as a regulatory carve-out, giving crypto companies temporary relief from older securities rules…

Vitalik Defends Base Against SEC Exchange Regulation Threat

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has praised Ethereum layer-2 Base’s approach to decentralization in response to recent concerns over Base’s sequencer and whether it should be treated as an exchange. “Base is doing things the right way: an L2 on top of Ethereum, that uses its centralized features to provide stronger UX features, while still being tied into Ethereum’s decentralized base layer for security,” Vitalik Buterin said on Tuesday.  He added that the Coinbase layer-2 does not have custody over your funds, “they cannot steal funds or stop you from withdrawing…

US Lawmakers Ask SEC to Act on Trump’s Crypto 401(k) Plan

US lawmakers have called on Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins to help accelerate the executive order enabling crypto investments in US 401(k) retirement plans. In the letter on Monday, nine lawmakers, including House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill and Subcommittee on Capital Markets Chairman Ann Wagner, said that Atkins was asked to “provide swift assistance” to the Secretary of Labor and to make any necessary adjustments to its current regulations and guidance. They also noted that under President Donald Trump’s August EO on “Democratizing Access to Alternative…

Gary Gensler Doubles Down On Crypto Approach Amid SEC Sea Change

In one of his few media appearances since leaving the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in January, Gary Gensler suggested he had no regrets about his approach to crypto enforcement during his four years at the agency. In a Wednesday interview, CNBC’s Sara Eisen asked the former SEC chair to respond to the agency under Paul Atkins “reversing a lot of what [he] did” regarding crypto policies, saying many investors were “ecstatic” he was no longer heading the commission. Gensler said he was “proud” of his time at the…

US Lawmakers Challenge SEC On Tron IPO, Press For Probe Into Justin Sun

Two members of Congress have called on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to answer questions that could impact how crypto companies go public on US exchanges.  In a Wednesday letter to SEC Chair Paul Atkins and acting director of the commission’s division of corporation finance Cicely LaMothe, Senator Jeff Merkley and Representative Sean Casten questioned the agency’s timing on dropping an enforcement case against Tron founder and CEO Justin Sun. The Tron founder had been facing a lawsuit filed by the SEC in 2023 over allegations of offering unregistered…

SEC Approves Grayscale GDLC for NYSE Arca Debut

Key Notes Bitcoin makes up over 72% of GDLC’s holdings, followed by Ethereum at 17%, with XRP, Solana, and Cardano at smaller allocations. Grayscale recently reduced BTC weightage in GDLC to increase exposure to other top digital assets. The approval of GDLC could streamline the launch of additional multi-asset crypto ETFs. Crypto asset manager Grayscale secured a major victory as the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the crypto large-cap fund (GDLC). This fund will hold the top five digital assets by market cap, such as Bitcoin BTC $117…

SEC Approves First US Multi-Crypto ETP: Grayscale CEO

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the first multi-asset cryptocurrency exchange-traded product (ETP) in the United States, clearing Grayscale’s Digital Large Cap Fund (GLDC) for listing. The fund will offer exposure to five of the world’s largest cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), XRP (XRP), Solana (SOL) and Cardano (ADA). The approval, disclosed in a filing on Wednesday, marks a milestone for the digital asset industry and follows the success of US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). A multi-asset crypto ETP gives traditional investors an easier way to gain…

SEC Approves Generic Listing Standards For Commodity-Based ETFs

The US Securities and Exchange Commission has approved standards that could speed up spot crypto ETF approvals, as each application would not need to be assessed individually. The decision, detailed in SEC filings on stock exchanges like the Nasdaq, NYSE Arca, and Cboe BZX, on Wednesday, would streamlines the process under Rule 6c-11, significantly reducing approval timelines, which have taken several months in the past. “By approving these generic listing standards, we are ensuring that our capital markets remain the best place in the world to engage in the cutting-edge…