Crypto ETF Opportunity Doesn't Stop at Bitcoin, Extends Into Multiple Digital Assets: Bernstein

Grayscale secured a landmark win against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last week in a court ruling that went past the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) conversion into an exchange-traded-fund (ETF), laying out unambiguous principles for regulators to evaluate spot ETF applications, broker Bernstein said in a report on Monday.

“The crypto ETF opportunity won’t stop at just bitcoin (BTC), but will extend into multiple crypto assets,” analysts led by Gautam Chhugani wrote.

The industry will get its first spot bitcoin ETF some time between mid-October and mid-March, and approval of all spot ETF applications, including Grayscale, will happen at the same time, the report said.

“The industry push for an ether (ETH) spot ETF follows immediately after, given ETH also has a similar market structure of a traded CME futures market and a spot market,” the analysts wrote.

The asset management industry is expected to push beyond bitcoin and ether into areas including other top blockchains, such as Solana and Polygon, and even leading decentralized finance (DeFi) assets, the note said. DeFi is an umbrella term used for lending, trading and other financial activities carried out on a blockchain, without traditional intermediaries.

This is a massive commercial opportunity for the asset management industry to generate healthy fees in a burgeoning asset class, the note added.

“The strong showing in the courts (Ripple and Grayscale in 2 months), improved ETF chances and the progressive institutional interest, are positioning crypto for an unprecedented capital led cycle, unlike the retail led crypto cycles of the past,” the report added.

CoinDesk’s parent company, Digital Currency Group, owns Grayscale.

Read more: Grayscale’s Legal Win Versus SEC Makes Spot Bitcoin ETF Approval More Likely: JPMorgan