Crypto asset manager Valkyrie has filed an application with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission to trade an exchange-traded fund (ETF) with exposure to Bitcoin mining firms on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
In a Wednesday SEC filing, Valkyrie said its Bitcoin Miners ETF will not invest directly in Bitcoin (BTC) but at least 80% of its net assets would offer exposure to the crypto asset through the securities of companies that “derive at least 50% of their revenue or profits” from BTC mining or providing hardware or software related to mining. The filing added Valkyrie would invest up to 20% of the ETF’s net assets in companies holding “a significant portion of their net assets” in Bitcoin.
Valkyrie launched a Bitcoin Strategy ETF in October 2021, which offered indirect exposure to BTC with cash-settled futures contracts following SEC approval for a similar ETF from ProShares. At the time of publication, shares of the fund traded on the Nasdaq for $14.93, having fallen more than 40% since opening on Oct. 22.
In 2021, the SEC approved investment vehicles linked to BTC derivatives for the first time, but hasn’t given the green light to any Bitcoin spot exchange-traded fund in the United States. The Valkyrie Bitcoin Miners ETF resembles the Digital Asset Mining ETF proposed by asset manager VanEck in December 2021, which plans to invest 80% of its total assets in securities from crypto mining firms — the regulatory body has until Feb. 14 to reach a decision on the fund or extend the deadline.
Related: Why now? SEC took eight years to authorize a Bitcoin ETF in the US
While many crypto ETF applications are still under consideration in the United States, Canadian regulators have approved ETFs with direct exposure to crypto from Fidelity, Purpose Investments and Evolve Fund Group. At a House of Representatives committee hearing in December, former Acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks said the United States was “unquestionably” behind other countries in approving crypto ETFs.