The XRP cryptocurrency experienced a sudden 12% surge following an X (Twitter) user's notice of a document filed in Delaware, supposedly indicating that asset manager BlackRock was creating an exchange-traded product named “iShares Pioneer of exchange-traded funds (ETFs).” The news swiftly boosted XRP's value to $0.73 within 30 minutes, marking a notable surge.
However, the excitement was short-lived as Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas investigated and confirmed with BlackRock that the document was indeed fake. Balchunas revealed that the listing on the Delaware Business Listing website was likely the work of someone impersonating BlackRock's managing director, Daniel Schwieger.
Reports from Bitcoin Magazine analyst Dylan Leclerc initially brought the news to the forefront. Balchunas and The Block also shared the information on X, although the post has since been removed. BlackRock's interest in expanding its ETF offerings beyond Bitcoin was evident as the company had recently filed for spot Ethereum ETFs on November 9.
Following the false listing incident, a clarification was made reaffirming that BlackRock's intention to introduce spot Ethereum ETFs was genuine. This confirmation came after Nasdaq submitted an official 19b-4 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), verifying the legitimacy of the spot Ethereum ETF plans amidst the misinformation surrounding the XRP-related fake listing.
