Bloomberg's senior ETF analyst has reiterated his prediction of a July 2 launch for U.S. spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs), following a spike in amended S-1 (registration statement) filings on Friday. SEC Chairman Gary Gensler has indicated that these spot Ether ETFs are expected to launch this summer, pending SEC approval of their S-1 filings.
### U.S. Spot Ether ETFs Anticipated to Launch on July 2
Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas has confirmed his prediction of a July 2 launch date for spot Ether ETFs after observing a surge in amended S-1 filings from issuers. Last month, the SEC approved 19b-4 filings for eight spot Ether ETFs. However, these ETFs still require SEC approval of their S-1 filings before they can commence trading.
Balchunas shared on social media platform X on Friday: "We will see a bunch of amended S-1s filed today, probably later this afternoon. Then it's in the SEC's hands to inform issuers of any final changes and effectiveness (final approval)." He added: "We are holding the line with July 2nd as our over/under for ETH ETFs launch date."
As anticipated, several spot Ether ETF issuers submitted their amended S-1 filings on Friday. According to Balchunas, the fees for these spot Ethereum ETFs appear to be as low as or lower than those for spot Bitcoin ETFs.
He highlighted that BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, has entered the market with a $10 million seed investment. VanEck also filed, revealing a low fee of 0.20%, closely matching Franklin’s 0.19%, which puts pressure on BlackRock to maintain fees under 30 basis points. Fidelity, Bitwise, 21Shares, and Grayscale also filed but did not disclose their fees, Balchunas noted.
The SEC approved eight spot Ethereum ETF 19b-4 filings on May 23. According to the regulator’s notice, NYSE Arca received permission to list the Grayscale Ethereum Trust and the Bitwise Ethereum ETF. Nasdaq was approved to list BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust. BZX Exchange can list the VanEck Ethereum Trust, the ARK 21Shares Ethereum ETF, the Invesco Galaxy Ethereum ETF, the Fidelity Ethereum Fund, and the Franklin Ethereum ETF. Earlier this month, Cathie Wood’s Ark Investment Management reportedly withdrew from the race to launch a spot Ether ETF, as Ark’s name was removed from the application filed with 21Shares.
Anticipation is building in the financial world as SEC Chairman Gary Gensler indicated during a recent congressional hearing that he expects spot Ether ETFs to launch this summer. Some in the crypto community hope that after spot Ether ETFs, the SEC may approve other crypto ETFs, such as Solana or XRP ETFs.
When do you think spot Ethereum ETFs will launch in the U.S.? Do you think July 2 is a reasonable prediction? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.