Planned VanEck ETF Aims To Invest in Miners — Both Crypto and Gold

The new filing comes as the ETF issuer is expected to launch a fund focused on only digital asset miners this week

article-image

Blockworks Exclusive Art by Axel Rangel

share
  • VanEck proposed an ETF in December that would invest in futures contracts and investment offerings linked to gold or bitcoin
  • Investors who buy bitcoin and those who buy gold are “very different,” ETF.com crypto editor says

VanEck is laying the groundwork for an ETF that would invest in companies mining both digital assets and gold.

The VanEck Gold and Digital Assets Mining ETF would invest primarily in the securities within an index tracking the performance of gold mining and digital assets mining businesses, according to a recent regulatory disclosure.

It would not invest in digital assets directly or via derivatives. The filing did not indicate a ticker or expense ratio.

A VanEck spokesperson declined to comment.

“I think VanEck is just trying different things and seeing what sticks,” said Sumit Roy, crypto editor and analyst at ETF.com. “It’s the equivalent of sticking bitcoin and gold into an ETF — a strategy that we’ve already seen employed and some people like.”

WisdomTree’s Enhanced Commodity Strategy Fund (GCC), for example, which invests in gold, expanded its strategy to include bitcoin futures in October.

“While I don’t want to count this ETF out, I don’t think it will see as much traction as more focused ETFs,” Roy said. “The investors who buy bitcoin and those who buy gold are very different.”

The plans follow VanEck proposing a gold and bitcoin strategy ETF in December. The fund would invest in futures contracts, exchange-traded products (ETPs) and other investments linked to gold or bitcoin.

“Gold bugs and the bitcoin maxis tend to go at each other’s throats,” Nathan Geraci, president of The ETF Store, said at the time. “Who are you marketing to here?”

VanEck’s largest US ETF is its gold miners fund (GDX). Launched in 2006, the fund has about $14.5 billion of assets. Overall, VanEck manages about $63 billion of assets across more than 60 US ETFs.

VanEck launched its Digital Transformation ETF (DAPP), which holds crypto exchanges, miners and other digital asset-related stocks, last April.

The firm also brought to market its Bitcoin Strategy ETF (XBTF), which invests in cash-settled bitcoin futures contracts.

An additional crypto-related product, the VanEck Digital Assets Mining ETF, is expected to launch Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The Securities and Exchange Commission in November rejected a proposed VanEck ETF that would have bought bitcoin directly. The regulator has not yet approved such a fund despite industry participants pushing for one for years.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 24 - 26, 2026

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.

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.

recent research

Unlocked by Template (1).jpg

Research

As AI supercharges surveillance, privacy becomes a prerequisite and the winning stack will combine confidentiality with selective disclosure. Zcash’s Tachyon, composable standards on Ethereum/Solana, and compliance-aware pools aim to make private rails the new norm.

article-image

Pipe’s testnet has delivered 60+ PB of data across ~290,000 Point of Presence (PoP) nodes

article-image

375ai will hold TGE at the end of the month, CEO Harry Dewhirst told Blockworks

article-image

Block’s subsidiary adds direct Bitcoin integration and AI-powered ordering tools for small businesses seeking streamlined transactions

by Blockworks /
article-image

The deal integrates Dinero’s staking suite into Plume’s real-world asset platform as it gains SEC transfer agent status

by Blockworks /
article-image

The state’s decision opens staking access to New Yorkers, signaling a regulatory shift toward broader crypto participation

by Blockworks /
article-image

The startup says it aims to rival Stripe and Worldpay by using stablecoins to speed merchant settlements from days to seconds

by Blockworks /