U.S. Spot Bitcoin ETF Approval Clock to Start Wednesday as 8 Applicants Named on Federal Register

The clock for U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approval of spot-bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications will begin Wednesday after all eight applicants were listed on the Federal Register.

While the regulator published documents seeking public consultations last week, the clock on the review process formally starts only when filings are published in the register, which occurred Tuesday. The register is the daily gazette of the U.S. government and contains executive orders, federal agency regulations, proposed agency rules and other documents that, by law, have to published.

“NYSE Arca’s 19b4 filing for the Bitwise Bitcoin ETP Trust was published in the Federal Register today. This starts the clock for the SEC to review that filing. The Commission has up 45 days to either rule on the proposal or extend its review for an additional time period,” Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan said in an email.

While there is no guarantee the SEC will approve any of the applications, the filing by industry giant BlackRock has fueled speculation that permission is more likely.