Amidst rumors of an impending approval for a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF), a Bitcoin enthusiast chose to mark the occasion by embedding a message in the blockchain. At 7:24 pm UTC on January 9, a Bitcoin transaction was recorded with the message “SEC Chairman About to Approval of Second ETF,” reminiscent of the historical embedding of messages in Bitcoin’s blockchain.
This action echoes the approach taken by Bitcoin's enigmatic creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, who embedded the phrase "Chancellor on edge of second bank bailout" in Bitcoin's genesis block. In both instances, the messages were included in the OP_RETURN field of their respective transactions, ensuring their permanence on the Bitcoin blockchain.
As of this time, the SEC has yet to approve any spot Bitcoin ETFs, though it did greenlight the first Bitcoin futures ETF back in October 2021. This context might shed light on why the January 9th message references the approval of a “second ETF,” hinting at an imminent approval. The use of the word "second" might also be a nod to Nakamoto's original message.
In a closely related development, just hours before this blockchain entry, the SEC’s official X account erroneously announced the approval of all spot Bitcoin ETFs. This information was later debunked as false, with SEC Chairman Gary Gensler clarifying that the regulator's accounts had been compromised. In the wake of this incident, three U.S. senators have demanded a detailed report from Gensler on the breach’s circumstances.
