Indicating a potential approval for spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), Fidelity Investments has listed several proposed ETFs on its web app as of January 10. The listed ETFs include ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB), VanEck Bitcoin Trust ETF (HODL), Invesco Galaxy Bitcoin ETF (BTCO), Franklin Bitcoin ETF (EZBC), and WisdomTree Bitcoin ETF (BTCW). Notably, this listing by Fidelity follows a similar trend seen on the Cboe BZX stock exchange on the same day. However, shares of these funds are currently not available for purchase on the respective pages.
The Fidelity app pages for these funds appear to be populated using templates, featuring stock risk disclaimers and blank charts. While these listings do not guarantee eventual approval, they suggest a step closer to SEC approval. On the day of Fidelity's listing, the Cboe BZX stock exchange also listed ARKB, HODL, BTCO, BTCW, and EZBC along with FBTC in its interface. However, these funds are not yet available for purchase on the Chicago Board Options Exchange and haven't received formal approval from the SEC.
On January 9, the SEC's X account on Twitter posted a false message claiming the approval of a spot Bitcoin ETF. SEC Chairman Gary Gensler later clarified that the SEC's X account had been hacked, and the false statement was contradicted. Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas anticipates the potential approval of the ETFs on January 10, estimating it to occur between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm ET (9:00 pm and 11:00 pm UTC).
