Plus, the “stunning success” of Bitcoin ETFs and why Michael Sonnenshein stepped down as CEO of Grayscale.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Just when everyone thought that spot Ether ETFs were going to be denied on Thursday, news broke Monday that they are now likely to be approved, with Bloomberg analysts tripling their odds to a 75% chance of approval.
Eric Balchunas, senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, and Matt Hougan, CIO at Bitwise Asset Management, say this reversal definitely has to do with politics, citing the fight of Staff Accounting Bulletin 121, a rule that was unfriendly to financial institutions wanting to engage with crypto.
Plus, they delve into the reasons why Michael Sonnenshein stepped down as CEO of Grayscale after 10 years (hint: it has to do with GBTC), what the 13F filings revealed about who’s been buying the spot bitcoin ETFs since the beginning of the year, and what Vanguard’s incoming CEO, Salim Ramji, who was instrumental to getting BlackRock to launch its Bitcoin ETF, could mean for crypto’s future at the asset management firm.
Show highlights:
Why Eric believes the ether ETFs will be approvedWhy Matt thinks the Bitcoin ETFs set off a “complete sea change in Washington around crypto”Whether the spot Ether ETFs will be approved with or without stakingWho the authorized participants and other behind-the-scenes players in the ether ETFs will beWhen the ETH ETFs could start trading and why Eric believes they won’t be as successful as Bitcoin ETFsWhat the 13F filings revealed about the spot Bitcoin ETFs buyers and why their identities are “stunning”Why Michael Sonnenshein stepped down as CEO of GrayscaleGrayscale’s new mini ETF, BTCWhether Vanguard’s new CEO appointment could mean a change in attitude by the asset management firm towards cryptoWhat a buffered ETF is and why they could be significantMatt’s prediction for the BTC priceTheir outlook on the future of ETFs and developments in the space
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Guests:
Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise Asset Management
Previous appearances on Unchained:
How Small Bitcoin ETF Issuers Will Compete With the Likes of BlackRock
Why a Spot Bitcoin ETF Will Probably Launch No Later Than January 10
Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence
Previous appearances on Unchained:
How, in 7 Weeks, Bitcoin ETFs Reached Inflows That Took Gold ETFs 3 Years
Why Spot Bitcoin ETFs Are Likely to Finally Start Trading on Thursday
Will a Spot Bitcoin ETF Finally Get Approved?
Links |
Ether ETFs
CoinDesk: Ether ETFs Filing Process Sees Abrupt Progress, Though Approval Not Guaranteed: Sources
SAB 121
Bloomberg: As Bitcoin Rallies, Banks Are Pushing US Regulators to Change Crypto Guidance
Unchained: Senate Votes to Kill SAB 121 Custody Bill: How Crypto Became So Political
13F Filings
Unchained: Large Institutions Betting Big on Bitcoin ETFs Revealed in SEC Filings
Leadership changes
CoinDesk: Grayscale CEO Michael Sonnenshein Steps Down, to Be Replaced by TradFi Veteran
WSJ: Meet Salim Ramji, Who Is Going to Oversee the Retirement Assets of Tens of Millions of Americans
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Unchained Podcast is Produced by Laura Shin Media, LLC. Distributed by CoinDesk. Senior Producer is Michele Musso and Executive Producer is Jared Schwartz.
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