Asset manager BlackRock files for bitcoin ETF
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[1/2] A specialist trader works at the post where BlackRock is traded on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
June 15 (Reuters) – BlackRock (BLK.N) on Thursday filed for a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) that would allow investors to get exposure to the cryptocurrency, betting on the asset class that has come under pressure from regulatory action in recent months.
The asset management giant’s iShares Bitcoin Trust will use Coinbase Custody as its custodian, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The move comes at a time when the global cryptocurrency industry has been caught in the crosshairs of the U.S. securities regulator on alleged violations of securities laws.
Earlier this month, the regulator sued major exchanges Coinbase and Binance in high-profile lawsuits that reverberated through the digital assets industry.
Previously, the SEC has rejected multiple spot bitcoin ETF applications.
Plans for BlackRock’s ETF were reported by CoinDesk earlier in the day.
Reporting by Manya Saini and Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath and Pooja Desai
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