What does ETF mean? Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, are investment instruments that allow investors to enter a particular market without the risk of buying the asset itself. It is also known as an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF), while in the world it is known as Exchange Traded Funds, abbreviated as ETF. ETF systems are designed to work with an arbitrage mechanism to keep deviations from assets such as stocks or bonds close to the net value of the assets.
The formation of the global perception surrounding the underlying Blockchain technology of cryptocurrencies opens up new avenues for investment and trading through the recently launched exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
Although U.S. regulators have rejected ETFs based on bitcoins, they have approved the launch of Blockchain-based ETFs, paving the way for the issuance of ETFs based on the underlying technology.
How ETFs Work
An ETF or mutual fund offers a binary advantage. The mutual fund increases diversification by spreading money across multiple products and provides real-time trading opportunities in transactions. Such Blockchain ETFs take the basis of an index’s performance and are valued accordingly.
Basic Index and Methodology
Let’s examine the basic index and methodology behind the study of an ETF with an example.
A BLCN ETF is an ETF that does not track the performance of a specially designed index called the Reality Shares Nasdaq Blockchain Economy Index and is managed as such. This index consists of companies involved in the research, development, support or use of Blockchain technology and related businesses.
The index methodology determines a Blockchain score for each potential company stock that can be suitable candidates for inclusion in this index. This score is based on several factors related to how the company’s business contributes to the Blockchain ecosystem, Blockchain product maturity and associated economic impact, research and development activities, company results, and investment and expenditure on innovations.
This factor-based methodology allows the potential of a blockchain company and its business to be measured with greater accuracy for realistic economic profits, renewed business prospects, and operational competence. The 50 to 100 companies with the best Blockchain scores are eligible to enter this index, and the same shares are replicated in BLCN ETFs. The index is rebalanced every six months and priced accordingly.
What is a Cryptocurrency ETF?
The ETF of any cryptocurrency is the mechanism that examines and tracks the variability in the value of cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrency ETFs essentially work and are traded like a traditional ETF. In order for the ETF of the cryptocurrency to work, the company listing the ETF on the stock exchange must own the underlying cryptocurrency on its exchange. As a result of this transaction, investors buy a share for their rights traded on the stock exchange. The ETF’s gain to the investor here is that it tries to offer less investment risk in these crypto assets that develop on the blockchain. In some cases where investing in blockchain technology or the assets created by this technology is required, it is necessary to purchase the ETF of the blockchain. In this case, the investor interacts with ETFs, which represent shares of blockchain technology underlying the units of cryptocurrency technology.
What Does Bitcoin ETF Mean?
A Bitcoin ETF can be managed by exchanges or companies that hold Bitcoin. The Bitcoin price is pegged to the value of Bitcoin held in the back fund. Companies or exchanges issue the ETF on a traditional stock exchange, and investors trade the listed Bitcoin ETF as if they were stocks. Bitcoin ETFs also offer investors new opportunities.
However, there are some important differences between a Bitcoin ETF and other ETFs.
Some ETFs that follow the S&P 500 as the first significant difference represent stocks. Thus, a fee is charged from the payments that any company in the ETF pays to its shareholders. For example, when Tesla pays out a payout and you have stake in an ETF that includes Tesla, you also receive a payout. The difference here is that Bitcoin is not as decentralized as the S&P 500. Bitcoin is decentralized, so what happens in a Tesla ETF doesn’t occur in a Bitcoin ETF.
The second important difference is that, as with ETFs, you have to pay a certain amount of fee to the company offering the ETF. But in a Bitcoin ETF, part of the fees you pay is the amount spent on buying and storing Bitcoin, which forms the main structure of the ETF.
What is ETF Risk?
Blockchain ETFs, which are investments based on a specific theme, carry inherent risks such as poor performance, non-compliance or failure of the Blockchain ecosystem. While there is an increasing level of acceptance for blockchain systems, this concept is still at a nascent stage and depends on the development of the overall ecosystem, the reliability and stability of the blockchain network, its configuration and successful adoption.
Blockchain ETFs have opened a new horizon for joint investors to benefit from the Blockchain sector. People who believe in blockchain technology can invest in the ETF of their choice for the long term, while those looking for short-term or intraday trading opportunities can also actively trade like a stock.
What is a Spot Bitcoin ETF?
The Spot Bitcoin ETF is a financial product designed as a mutual fund that generally backs Bitcoin physically and is traded on traditional exchanges. The main objective of this type of ETF is to offer investors the possibility to generate portfolio returns based on Bitcoin’s price movements.
So, investors can invest in Bitcoin through this ETF. The Spot Bitcoin ETFmakes it easier for users who are used to trading on traditional exchanges to invest in Bitcoin. This allows investors to buy Bitcoin without having to use any cryptocurrency exchange or digital asset wallet.
The biggest difference between a Spot Bitcoin ETFand a Bitcoin futures ETF is that it is backed by actual Bitcoin. Bitcoin Futures ETFs, on the other hand, are backed by Bitcoin derivatives. Spot Bitcoin ETFs are valued based on Bitcoin’s daily market price (spot price), while Bitcoin Futures ETFs include futures or other investment strategies based on Bitcoin’s future price movements.
What Does ETF Approval Mean?
We answered the question “What is an ETF?” as ‘a mutual fund that includes many different assets and can be traded on the stock exchange like a stock’.
What is ETF approval?‘ means the authorization or approval of an investment fund to become a fund that can be traded on the stock exchange. However, an ETF may need to go through a specific regulatory process and be approved by the exchange before it can be traded on the exchange.
Receiving ETF approval usually means that it has been verified by financial regulators and exchange operators as complying with certain standards and rules. This process includes a review of the fund’s portfolio construction, performance management, ability to provide liquidity and other key factors.
This approval provides investors with credibility and transparency, as ETFs can often be bought from or sold to other investors on the stock exchange. When investors want to make an investment based on a specific index, sector or asset class, they can use an approved ETF.
Bitcoin ETF Approved?
When it comes to ‘Is Bitcoin ETF Approved?’, the answer to this question is a clear “Yes”. The world’s first approved Bitcoin ETF is the Purpose Bitcoin ETF, owned by Purpose Investment in Canada.
The first Bitcoin ETF to be approved in the US is ProShares’ Bitcoin futures ETF called BITO. Approved in 2021, this ETF, Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) through the Internet.
On January 10, 2024, there was a mass spot ETF approval that made a lot of noise.
– Bitwise
– Grayscale
– Hashdex
– BlackRock
– Valkyrie
– BZX
– Invesco
– VanEck
– WisdomTree
– Fidelity
– Franklin Templeton
a total of 11 companies’ spot Bitcoin ETFs, SEC (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) so it was approved by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
Where to Buy ETFs?
Generally speaking, investors wishing to buy ETFs can do so through banks or other authorized brokerage houses. The trading of Bitcoin ETFs is carried out by brokerage firms. Users who want to buy Bitcoin ETFscan do so through the applications of brokerage firms that provide services in this context.
Can You Buy Bitcoin ETFs in Turkey?
While many mutual funds can already be traded through banks and brokerage houses in Turkey, this is not currently possible for Bitcoin ETFs.
