Amid Bitcoin ETF Fee War, Grayscale Stands Its Ground With Priciest Product

Valkyrie, Invesco and Bitwise lowered their fees further just hours after all rivals finally revealed their fee plans.

AccessTimeIconJan 9, 2024 at 5:10 p.m. UTC
Updated Jan 12, 2024 at 3:12 p.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Just hours after all wanna-be bitcoin ETF issuers finished revealing how much they'll charge investors who own the products, some are cutting their planned fee – a sign of just how brutal the battle to accumulate assets will be if these products get approved this week.

But Grayscale, which already offers a bitcoin investment product the newcomers are chasing, is standing firm with its far-costlier fee – and the distance grew with Tuesday's cuts.

  • Can Blockchain Impact the History of Art?
    00:59
    Can Blockchain Impact the History of Art?
  • Is Meme Coin Demand Stronger Than Ever?
    00:57
    Is Meme Coin Demand Stronger Than Ever?
  • Binance Fired Investigator Who Uncovered Client Market Manipulation; 'Boden' Memecoin Surges
    02:20
    Binance Fired Investigator Who Uncovered Client Market Manipulation; 'Boden' Memecoin Surges
  • What Happens if ETH Is Deemed a Security?
    20:00
    What Happens if ETH Is Deemed a Security?
  • For full coverage of bitcoin ETFs, click here.

    Valkyrie cut its fee nearly in half to 0.49% from 0.8%, and it will charge nothing for three months. Even with the change, though, the crypto asset manager is at the higher end of the spectrum, closer to competitors Invesco, which also lowered its fee by 20 basis points to 0.39%.

    Bitwise, which was already the lowest-cost option at 0.24%, decided to go down even further, to 0.20%, widening its gap to competitors 21Shares and Ark and VanEck, who have so far stuck with their initial fees of 0.25%. WisdomTree went down 20 basis points, to 0.30%, while Fidelity updated its fee to 0.25%, as well.

    Issuer
    Fee
    Bitwise
    0.20%
    Ark/21Shares
    0.25%
    Fidelity
    0.25%
    VanEck
    0.25%
    Franklin Templeton
    0.29%
    BlackRock
    0.30%
    WisdomTree
    0.30%
    Invesco/Galaxy
    0.39%
    Valkyrie
    0.49%
    Hashdex
    0.90%
    Grayscale
    1.50%

    With the recent changes, nine applicants – the overwhelming majority – will potentially be charging investors less than 0.5% of the net asset value of the fund. Meanwhile, Grayscale is significantly higher at 1.5%. But experts say that they wouldn't be surprised if the crypto asset manager makes some changes as time goes on.

    "It's trivial for them to drop the fee, but difficult to raise it after conversion," Scott Johnsson, former Davis Polk attorney and GP at Van Buren Capital, wrote on X. "Seems to me that if they're trying to find the sweet spot of minimizing asset under management (AUM) declines and maintaining fees, it's not so outrageous to start out at a "high" level and then adjust."

    The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), which the company wants to convert into an ETF, currently charges 2%, so 1.5% is a reduction. It may also justify its high price because it has a significant competitive advantage over others because of its size. The asset manager has more than $27 billion of AUM lined up even before potential approval and launch. The others are essentially starting at zero.

    UPDATE (Jan. 9, 2023, 22:19 UTC): Updates Fidelity's fee.

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.

    Helene Braun

    Helene is a New York-based reporter covering Wall Street, the rise of the spot bitcoin ETFs and crypto exchanges. She is also the co-host of CoinDesk's Markets Daily show. Helene is a graduate of New York University's business and economic reporting program and has appeared on CBS News, YahooFinance and Nasdaq TradeTalks. She holds BTC and ETH.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.