Ether ETFs officially begin trading in U.S., with funds from BlackRock, Grayscale and more

Ether exchange-traded funds officially began trading in the U.S. on Tuesday, putting the world’s second-largest crypto currency in a vehicle favored by many professional investors and advisors. The new funds come from traditional fund issuers such as BlackRock and Fidelity and crypto-specific companies such as Grayscale, marking another step in the increased integration of digital assets into mainstream finance. Ether is the native cryptocurrency on the Ethereum blockchain. While bitcoin is often pitched as a type of digital gold, ether is seen as more of a bet on the growth of the blockchain and crypto more broadly. “Ethereum’s appeal lies in its decentralized nature and its potential to drive digital transformation in finance and other industries,” Jay Jacobs, U.S. head of active and thematic ETFs at BlackRock, said in a press release. Bitcoin ETFs have raked in about $17 billion in net inflows since their launch in January, according to FactSet, a historically successful launch. The ether ETFs are widely expected to be smaller than the bitcoin funds, both because of the relative size of the two markets and the fact that ether may not be as familiar to many investors. “Ethereum is just a bit more confusing and unclear for individual investors, as well as institutional investors,” said Sam Callahan, senior analyst at Swan Bitcoin. The ether ETFs also do not offer staking, which is a process that can give crypto-native investors additional yield. Many of the funds set to launch this week have temporary fee waivers to attract clients. After the waivers, the management fees range between 0.15% and 2.50%. Both the cheapest and most expensive funds come from Grayscale, which is effectively converting its multibillion-dollar private ether fund into two ETFs with different price points.