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CATEGORY: paper bitcoin


Grayscale Met With The SEC, Tried To Convince Them To Turn The GBTC Into An ETF

Author: Eduardo Próspero
United Kingdom
May 12, 2022 06:10

Grayscale Met With The SEC, Tried To Convince Them To Turn The GBTC Into An ETF

Will GBTC get to become the first US-based spot bitcoin ETF? The euphoria from six months ago turned into Grayscale hinting that it might sue the SEC if its request is denied. Currently, the climate dictates that the answer will probably be negative, but the company is not giving up. According to CNBC, Grayscale “met privately with the Securities and Exchange Commission last week in an effort to persuade the regulator to approve the conversion of its flagship fund into an ETF.” Related Reading | Grayscale Removes Bancor (BNT) And Universal Market Access (UMA) From Its DeFi Fund The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, also known as GBTC, “holds roughly 3.4% of the world’s bitcoin and is owned by more than 850,000 U.S. accounts, according to Grayscale.” For more than a year it has traded at around a 25% discount to BTC’s price. According to Grayscale, at the moment that the SEC approves the product’s transformation into an ETF, the discount will end and it will unlock “up to $8 billion in value for investors.” Take into account that VanEck’s, BlockFi’s, and other recent applications for a spot bitcoin ETF have been rejected. And that Grayscale has been applying to get one since 2017. This time around, the SEC has until July 6th to approve or deny the GBTC application. What Would Happen If The GBTC Turns Into An ETF To answer this question, Grayscale made “a 24-page presentation” for the SEC. Some graphs from the document are in the CNBC report, although in low resolution. In general, the GBTC’s transformation into a spot bitcoin ETF “would open them up to ordinary investors in a familiar wrapper that trades like a stock.”  The main argument from Grayscale is that a bitcoin futures ETF already exists, and the “SEC is discriminating against issuers” by not letting any company create a spot bitcoin ETF. “ Grayscale contended that a spot bitcoin ETF is “no riskier” than futures-based ETFs, because the two markets are both affected by the underlying price of bitcoin and track each other closely.” Back in April Grayscale’s CEO, Michael Sonnenshein, felt more litigious when he said: “If the SEC can’t look at two like issues, the futures ETF and the spot ETF, through the same lens, then it is, in fact, potentially grounds for an Administrative Procedure Act violation.” The SEC visit and the threat of legal action have not been Grayscale’s only weapon. According to CNBC, to help transform the GBTC into an ETF, “the investment firm has helped coordinate a public letter-writing push, flooding the SEC with more than 3,000 letters in support of its application.” GBTC price chart on FTX | Source: GBTC/USD on TradingView.com How Would A Spot Bitcoin ETF Affect The Market? Opinions vary. There are institutions that can’t invest in bitcoin as an asset, but could definitely put their money in an ETF. Some believe that the sudden influx of funds that these people would bring would send bitcoin’s price to the moon. Unlike a future ETF which only holds future contracts, a spot ETF would have to buy the bitcoin it’ll represent. So, the money would definitely enter the bitcoin ecosystem. Related Reading | SEC, Ripple Agree To Extend Legal Battle Until 2023; XRP Bears The Brunt Of Case On the other hand, Bitcoiners don’t see what they deem as “paper bitcoin” with good eyes. The financial instrument would represent bitcoin, but the ETF isn’t the asset per se. This brings forth certain vulnerabilities to the bitcoin network. The “paper bitcoin” could be considered inflation and something akin to fractional reserve banking is technically possible. In any case, neither group has the finger on the trigger. The SEC and only the SEC does. Featured Image by Aymanejed on Pixabay | Charts by TradingView

Oct 29, 2024 12:05

Are ETF Paper Bitcoins Suppressing BTC Prices? Analyst Provides Answers

In a new YouTube video titled “There Is No ETF Paper Bitcoin,” Fred Krueger, an investor at the crypto hedge fund 2718.fund, delved into the growing concerns surrounding US spot Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) and their impact on the cryptocurrency’s price. Krueger aimed to dispel the fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) that have been circulating about “paper Bitcoin”the notion that ETFs might be selling Bitcoin they do not actually possessand to explain why Bitcoin’s price has not surged as dramatically as some might expect, despite significant ETF purchases. Krueger began his analysis by acknowledging the prevalent skepticism in the market. “There’s all this paper Bitcoin, and ETFs don’t really have the Bitcoin, and if they were buying all this Bitcoin, how come Bitcoin price is not higher?” he stated, encapsulating the core concerns of many investors. Historically, the concept of “paper Bitcoin” has been associated with exchanges that sold Bitcoin to customers without actually possessing the underlying assets. Krueger highlighted several high-profile instances where this practice led to significant losses for investors. He cited the case of Mt. Gox. Another example he provided was QuadrigaCX, a Canadian exchange that collapsed under mysterious circumstances. Founder Gerald Cotten allegedly died in India, taking with him the private keys to the exchange’s cold wallets, effectively locking away customer funds. “A lot of Canadians lost all their Bitcoin on this Quad exchange,” Krueger noted. Are “ETF Paper Bitcoin” Real? These historical events have contributed to the current apprehension about ETFs and the possibility that they might be engaging in similar practicesselling Bitcoin they do not actually hold, thereby suppressing BTCs price through artificial supply. However, Krueger argued that ETFs, particularly those managed by established financial institutions, operate under a fundamentally different framework compared to unregulated exchanges. Related Reading: Bitcoin Bullish Outlook Confirmed By Critical Data STH Overheating? Focusing on two leading ETFsIBIT, the BlackRock ETF, and FBTC, the Fidelity ETFKrueger emphasized the stringent regulatory oversight governing these entities. “Both of these ETFs are subject to very strict regulatory oversight, including the SEC but also other agencies in the US,” he stated. This comprehensive oversight includes requirements for complete transparency, regular audits, and the use of third-party custodians for asset verification. “They literally have to get a receipt of an asset from a third-party custodian,” Krueger added. In the case of IBIT, Coinbase serves as the third-party custodian. “Coinbase is itself a public company that is audited,” Krueger pointed out, noting that the public nature of Coinbase adds an additional layer of scrutiny and accountability. IBIT conducts audits of Coinbase, and both entities are subject to audits by the SEC and other regulatory bodies. For FBTC, custody is handled by Fidelity Digital Assets, a separate entity within Fidelity that specializes in the custody of digital assets, thereby ensuring specialized oversight and management. “The issuers of IBIT and FBTC are BlackRock and Fidelity, two of the largest and oldest financial institutions, and they have a vested interest in maintaining their reputation,” Krueger asserted. “Their reputation is at stake, and this is a big deal,” he emphasized, suggesting that these institutions would not risk their credibility by engaging in the sale of non-existent Bitcoin. Krueger contrasted BlackRock with entities like QuadrigaCX to underscore the disparity in regulatory compliance and operational scale. “BlackRock is highly regulated […] BlackRock has a robust corporate governance structure with committees for audit, risk, and compliance and very extensive internal controls,” Krueger added. Related Reading: Bitcoin To Hit $125,000 By Year-End If Trump Wins, Says Standard Chartered Addressing the core concern about ETFs holding “paper Bitcoin,” Krueger provided specific data to refute this notion. “The reality is the ETFs have zero pure paper Bitcoin,” he stated unequivocally. He highlighted that IBIT holds approximately 403,000 actual Bitcoins, while FBTC holds about 185,000 actual Bitcoins. “Together, these two ETFs hold almost 3% of the world’s total Bitcoin, or 588,000 BitcoinsI think it’s 2.9%,” he calculated. Krueger acknowledged that some skeptics have attempted to analyze Bitcoin movement between specific dates to challenge these holdings. However, he emphasized that the facts are clear and verifiable. “We know how much Bitcoin these ETFs have; we know that it’s accounted for, and that’s a reality,” he insisted. Turning to the question of why Bitcoin’s price has not increased more dramatically despite significant ETF inflows, Krueger offered a nuanced explanation. He noted that Bitcoin is, in fact, up by 60% since the introduction of the ETFs, translating to a $600 billion increase in market capitalization. This growth has been fueled by approximately $20 billion in net inflows into the ETFs, resulting in a price multiplier effect of about 30x. “That’s historically about normal, maybe a little on the low side but not terribly so,” he assessed. Krueger attributed the moderation in Bitcoin’s price growth to substantial selling pressures from various sources. “There’s been a bunch of selling,” he explained. He detailed that Germany sold $3 billion worth of Bitcoin as well as Mt. Gox holdings. Additionally, FTX sold its GBTC (Grayscale Bitcoin Trust) stake earlier in the year, and the Digital Currency Group (DCG) sold assets to resolve lawsuits. “We had a lot of selling,” Krueger summarized. Speculating on the potential impact absent these selling pressures, Krueger suggested that Bitcoin’s price could have been significantly higher. “We probably would be at $90k if there wasn’t any selling,” he posited. At press time, BTC traded at $68,752. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

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