Issuers pile more crypto ETF plans

New proposals continue to move beyond filings focused on solana, XRP and litecoin

article-image

WindAwake/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share


This is a segment from the Forward Guidance newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.


We’ve rounded up the myriad of crypto ETF plans issuers are dreaming up, and launching.

The proposals continue to move beyond ones focused on solana, XRP and litecoin

An update from yesterday: A 19b-4 filing from Nasdaq signals Grayscale Investments’ intent to offer a Polkadot ETF. 21Shares put out a similar proposal a few weeks back. 

Polkadot (DOT) has a market cap of nearly $7 billion, ranking it 26th among crypto assets.  

The filing is not a proposal for Grayscale to convert one of its existing trusts to an ETF wrapper, like it had done with its bitcoin and ether products. That’s because it does not yet have a trust investing in DOT.  

I previously wrote about how Grayscale historically first goes with private placement launches for accredited investors before obtaining public quotations for unrestricted shares and making the products SEC-reporting companies. The conversion to an ETF is the final step. 

Grayscale skipped the initial steps upon filing for a Cardano ETF. Speaking of that product, the SEC acknowledged it in a Monday filing, noting the agency would solicit comments on the proposal. 

The thought is that Grayscale (despite not returning requests for comment) must feel it can take these shortcuts given the evolving regulatory environment.

This comes after Nasdaq late last week filed to list shares of Canary Capital’s proposed HBAR ETF, which hold Hedera’s native cryptocurrency. This 19b-4 filing comes a few months after the company submitted an S-1 for the product in November.

So, the momentum around altcoin ETF filings has not changed from when we last checked in. The next one we’ll see is anyone’s guess.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Brooklyn, NY

SUN - MON, JUN. 22 - 23, 2025

Blockworks and Cracked Labs are teaming up for the third installment of the Permissionless Hackathon, happening June 22–23, 2025 in Brooklyn, NY. This is a 36-hour IRL builder sprint where developers, designers, and creatives ship real projects solving real problems across […]

recent research

Featured.png

Research

Helium stands at a pivotal moment in its evolution as a decentralized wireless network, balancing rapid growth, economic restructuring, and global expansion. With accelerated growth in domestic DAUs and Hotspots supporting its network, Helium is leveraging strategic partnerships and innovative proposals to scale internationally. The recent implementation of HIP 138, “Return to HNT,” has unified its token economy under HNT, simplifying participation and strengthening liquidity, while HIP 139’s phase-out of CBRS refocuses efforts on scalable Wi-Fi offload. Meanwhile, governance shifts under HIP 141 raise questions about centralization as Nova Labs consolidates control over the roadmap.

article-image

The asset surged over the past seven days to reach its highest-ever weekly close on the SOL/ETH pair

article-image

Industry watchers note that SOL ETFs have attracted a fraction of the demand for bitcoin and ether ETFs

article-image

Tariff swings impact stock market and company outlooks, with Apple and NVidia likely to be affected by China tariffs

article-image

The team says an attacker minted unclaimed tokens from ZKsync’s 2024 airdrop

article-image

The MIT research-based protocol is live in private testnet — laying the foundation for decentralized RAM

article-image

The Balkan micronation went from Bitcoin economy to blockchain buzzwords in 10 years