Institutional investors, along with Bitcoin, show a growing interest in leading altcoins, with major financial players like BlackRock seeking SEC approval for a spot Ethereum ETF. Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart estimates a 60% chance of approval for spot Ethereum ETFs in May, despite recent deferrals by the SEC for decisions on potential ETFs from BlackRock and Grayscale.
May 23 is a pivotal date for the spot Ethereum ETF narrative, marking the end of the SEC’s 240-day decision period for proposals from Ark/21Shares and VanEck. Seyffart believes the SEC is likely to approve with a 60% probability but also acknowledges the possibility of delays. The SEC might use this date to either deny, postpone, or approve applications, possibly all at once.
The SEC also has the option to request potential issuers to withdraw their applications on the final decision date. Seyffart suggests that if the SEC asks Ark/21Shares or VanEck to withdraw, it could signal a positive outcome. He adds that the SEC may need more time for Ethereum than for Bitcoin and notes that if approval doesn’t come in May, it may be postponed to the following year.
Scott Johnsson of Van Buren Capital, in his latest article, supports the claims and emphasizes that the approval of a spot Ethereum ETF is almost certain in the long term. He points out that the existence of Ethereum futures ETFs is a positive factor for potential approval, given the SEC’s previous approvals of spot Bitcoin ETFs based on similar rationale.