According to a recent FOX Business report, Valkyrie Investments has secured approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch the first exchange-traded fund (ETF) featuring Ethereum (ETH) futures. 

This achievement positions Valkyrie as the frontrunner among nine issuers seeking to provide investors with an opportunity to speculate on the future price of the world’s second-largest digital asset through an ETF.

Valkyrie Emerges As First Mover In Ethereum Futures ETF Race

Ether, the native token of the Ethereum blockchain, currently holds a value of approximately $1,659 per token. Valkyrie aims to enhance retail participation in the crypto market by introducing an ETF that tracks Ether futures. 

According to FOX, Valkyrie Investments plans to merge its existing Bitcoin (BTC) futures ETF with the newly introduced Ether futures ETF, creating a combined fund named “the Valkyrie Bitcoin and Ether Strategy ETF”. 

Notably, the ETF’s Nasdaq ticker, BTF, will remain unchanged. The fund’s strategy includes opportunistically purchasing Ethereum futures, reflecting the growing interest in this digital asset over the past year.

Originally scheduled to commence trading on October 3, Valkyrie expedited its launch in response to the possibility of a government shutdown on Friday, a development that would limit SEC operations. 

With nearly two million federal workers facing layoffs without a funding agreement, Gensler has urged companies planning to go public to expedite their offerings before the shutdown occurs. 

The fate of the Ether futures applicants remains uncertain, as the SEC has requested that they update their filings with any additional information by Friday afternoon.

Lastly, Steven McClurg, Chief Investment Officer at Valkyrie, expressed enthusiasm about being at the forefront of offering Ethereum futures to investors, recognizing the exponential growth in interest surrounding this asset class. 

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com