Ether ETFs Filing Process Sees Abrupt Progress, Though Approval Not Guaranteed: Sources

The exchanges that want to list and trade shares of spot ether (ETH) exchange-traded funds are abruptly being asked by regulators to update key filings related to these products.

Exchanges are being asked to update 19b-4 filings on an accelerated basis by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, three people familiar with the situation told CoinDesk, suggesting they may be moving to approve these applications ahead of a key deadline this Thursday.

That doesn't mean the ETFs will be authorized, though. Would-be issuers also need their S-1 applications approved before the products could begin trading. SEC could take an indefinite amount of time to approve the S-1 documents, one person familiar with the matter said, as it isn't tied to a deadline.

One company in talks with the SEC said it feels like it might be on the right track for approval, in a turnaround from feeling some weeks ago that the SEC was dragging its feet, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Bloomberg Intelligence ETF analysts Eric Balchunas and James Seyffart raised their odds for the approval of a spot ether ETF to 75% from 25% on Monday after hearing chatter that the SEC could be taking a more favorable stance towards the applications.

They later corrected their statement, saying that the odds were related to the 19b-4 approvals. The SEC is expected to make a decision on VanEck spot ether ETF on May 23rd.

The SEC has been investigating whether ether, the chief native asset to the Ethereum blockchain, is a security, launching a formal inquiry after the network moved from a proof-of-work consensus mechanism to a proof-of-stake mechanism.

If ether is deemed to be a security by the SEC, that may be one reason for the regulator to reject the spot ether ETF applications.

One test of the agency's view on whether ETH is a security has newly emerged at Prometheum. The special purpose broker announced Monday it had soft-launched its ether custody service. The company eventually intends to launch custody and trading services for other digital assets – importantly, assets that are treated as securities in the U.S., not commodities.

Read more: Ether Jumps 10% to $3.4K After Bloomberg Ups Odds of Spot ETF Approval

UPDATE (May 20, 2024, 21:10 UTC): Adds additional information and context.