Australia's largest stock exchange has listed its first spot Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) amid growing global demand for accessible cryptocurrency investment options.
VanEck's Spot Bitcoin ETF Launches on Australia's Largest Exchange
VanEck Bitcoin ETF (VBTC) began trading today on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), which manages 90% of the country's equity market.
VBTC closed the day at A$20.06 ($13.4) after 99,791 shares were traded, marking a 1% increase from its opening price.
This ETF acts as a feeder fund that offers the opportunity to invest in Bitcoin by investing in VanEck's Bitcoin Trust (HODL), a US-listed ETF on the Cboe exchange.
VBTC's launch on the ASX comes six months after similar spot Bitcoin products launched in the US and around seven weeks after their launch in Hong Kong.
However, VBTC is not the first ETF to provide Australian investors with exposure to Bitcoin.
Monochrome Asset Management's Monochrome Bitcoin ETF (IBTC), which holds Bitcoin directly, launched on June 4 on the Cboe Australia exchange, a smaller rival to the ASX.
Since its launch, IBTC has achieved an average daily transaction volume of 55,000 units and handles approximately AU$550,000 in cash transactions each day.
Together, these ETFs mark an important moment for Bitcoin investment in Australia. As the Australian Financial Review notes, they signal the arrival of a wave of Bitcoin ETFs in the country, offering investors new ways to engage with the emerging cryptocurrency market.
*This is not investment advice.