Australia's main stock exchange is preparing to list its first Bitcoin (BTC) ETF.
Stock exchange operator ASX Ltd, which handles the majority of the country's share trading, has given the green light to the VanEck Bitcoin ETF. The ETF is scheduled to list on Thursday, according to a press release issued by VanEck on Saturday.
Arian Neiron, CEO of VanEck in the Asia-Pacific region, welcomed the growing interest in Bitcoin as an emerging asset class. “We recognize that Bitcoin is a new asset class that many advisors and investors want to access,” Neiron said. He also added that the ETF provides exposure to Bitcoin “using a regulated, transparent and familiar investment vehicle.”
The listing in Australia comes as US Bitcoin ETFs launched this year have already amassed $58 billion. These include BlackRock Inc. and Fidelity Investments, as well as VanEck's products. Although Hong Kong authorized spot ETFs for Bitcoin and Ethereum in April, these have attracted only a fraction of the attention their U.S. counterparts have received.
Besides VanEck, Sydney-based BetaShares Holdings Pty and another local company, DigitalX Ltd. is also preparing to be listed on Australia's main stock exchange. This follows the first Bitcoin ETF round in Australia, launched two years ago on the country's junior exchange CBOE Australia.
*This is not investment advice.
