Cointelegraph sat down with Leah Wald, CEO of digital asset investment firm Valkyrie Investments, to learn more about the importance of a Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) and the future of digital assets. For context, Valkyrie Investments was launched in 2021 and is one of the only asset managers to have three Bitcoin-adjacent ETFs trading on the Nasdaq. Valkyrie launched a Bitcoin Strategy ETF in October 2021, which offered indirect exposure to BTC with cash-settled futures contracts following a United States Securities and Exchange (SEC) approval for a similar ETF from ProShares. Valkyrie also has a balance sheet opportunities ETF …

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, has disapproved spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund applications from the New York Digital Investment Group and fund manager Global X after deferring on a decision several times in the last year. According to two separate Thursday filings, the SEC rejected proposed rule changes from the Cboe BZX Exchange and New York Stock Exchange’s Arca to list and trade shares of the Global X Bitcoin Trust and New York Digital Investment Group’s Bitcoin exchange-traded fund, or ETF, respectively. The SEC said that NYSE Arca and Cboe BZX had not met the burden under …

VanEck, an investment firm with almost $82 billion in assets under management, has submitted an application to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the launch of a new exchange-traded fund that invests in gold mining and Bitcoin (BTC) mining companies. According to the SEC document filed on March 3, the fund will focus on securities in an index that reflects the performance of gold mining and digital assets mining firms. It would not invest in cryptocurrencies directly or through derivatives. However, there was no ticker or cost ratio mentioned in the document. VanEck ETF Trust files with …

Institutional investors are returning to accumulate Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) shares as the discount to spot price his risen to nearly 30%, data on Glassnode shows. Since December 2021, some weekly sessions saw investors pouring in between $10 million and $120 million into Grayscale's flagship fund. Meanwhile, the biggest capital inflow — amounting to nearly $140 million — appeared in the week ending on Feb. 25, as shown in the chart below. No selloff yet among high-profile GBTC backers The GBTC trust attracted investments as global markets faced back-to-back shocks in the past few months, including a dramatic selloff in …

Multinational financial services giant Charles Schwab has responded to client demand to invest in cryptocurrency by filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch a Crypto Economy ETF. This filing comes just a week after the head of investor services at Schwab, Jonathan Craig, told news source Financial Advisor IQ that one in six Schwab clients had expressed interest in making crypto investments. He said: “A full 16% of Schwab’s clients plan to put money into cryptocurrencies in the first half of the year.” The proposed Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) aims to track the returns of an index designed …

Bitcoin (BTC) pulled off an impressive double-digit rally this year, but the digital asset has been struggling to break the $45,000 resistance lately. This level does not hold any historical importance because it has been easily breached multiple times. The same can be said for Bitcoin's $850 billion capitalization, which isn't anywhere close to silver's $1.4 trillion, or the Amazon and Google's $1.7 trillion market value. Bitcoin's market cap is often compared to gold, which has a $12.3 trillion total value and is currently the leading global store of value solution. Therefore, the answer to the $45,000 resistance might lay …

Canada's war on Bitcoin (BTC) appears to be backfiring as the country's flagship exchange-traded fund (ETF) adds thousands of BTC. Data from on-chain monitoring resource Coinglass shows that over the two weeks to Feb. 24, the Purpose Bitcoin ETF has increased its holdings from 28,854 BTC to 32,257 BTC — 11.8%. Institutions shrug off Canada's crypto crackdown After a two-month lull in which its holdings actually modestly decreased, Purpose is back in fashion among institutional investors. The about-turn comes against a backdrop of what many are calling an "advertisement" for Bitcoin — the Canadian government blacklisting private wallets and formally …

As the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is considering whether to approve or deny asset manager Grayscale’s application for a Bitcoin spot exchange-traded fund, the firm has called on American investors to submit comments to the regulator. In a Tuesday Twitter thread, Grayscale CEO Michael Sonnenshein announced the launch of an advocacy campaign for U.S.-based investors to speak their minds to the SEC before any final decision is reached on the Bitcoin (BTC) investment vehicle. Since the NYSE Arca filed with the regulatory body on Oct. 19 to list shares of Grayscale’s Bitcoin ETF under the ticker GBTC, the commission …

Kookmin Bank is preparing to become the first bank in South Korea to offer crypto investment products to retail investors. KB announced on Feb. 21 that it had formed a Digital Asset Management Preparatory Committee to determine product and strategy capabilities regarding digital assets and artificial intelligence investment funds. The bank expects to launch crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and futures products. The committee will also assess risk and compliance issues for the investment funds. The plans were confirmed by KB’s Head of Index Quant Management Honggun Kim in the official release from the bank. He said, “We will launch a …

Gary Gensler, chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, has responded to a letter from lawmakers calling the regulator denying approval of Bitcoin spot exchange-traded funds “unacceptable.” In a Tuesday letter from Gensler addressed to Minnesota Representative Tom Emmer, the SEC chair hinted that the regulatory body was no closer to approving a Bitcoin (BTC) spot ETF in the United States capable of preventing “fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices” by the standards of the Exchange Act. Gensler reiterated his stance of being technology-neutral, but that he would give “careful consideration” to the concerns Emmer raised in November. We …

It is not the first time the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rejected proposals for a Bitcoin spot exchange traded product (ETP), but efforts continue to be made by different financial institutions. The recent attempt made by Cboe BZX Exchange on Jan. 25 to list the Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Trust as a Bitcoin ETP has also failed. The SEC letter published on Feb. 8 pointed out that the exchange has not met its burden to demonstrate the fund is “designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts” and “to protect investors and the public interest”. Although proposals of Bitcoin …

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway dumped a portion of its Visa and Mastercard holdings and increased exposure in Nubank, the largest fintech bank in Brazil that's also popular among the country's Bitcoin investors. In a securities filing late Monday, the industrials conglomerate disclosed that it had purchased $1 billion worth of Nubank Class A stock in Q4/2021. On the other hand, it sold $1.8 billion and $1.3 billion worth of Visa and Mastercard stock, respectively, signaling a shift away from credit companies to gain exposure in their fintech rivals. Buffett, the so-called "Oracle of Omaha," is popular for his cautious approach …