SEC Delays Decision on Seven Crypto ETFs Until October 2025 – What’s the Hold-Up?
The SEC just hit snooze on crypto ETFs—again. Seven applications now gather dust until at least October 2025, leaving traders to wonder if regulators are waiting for Bitcoin to moon before approving these funds.
Here’s the kicker: Wall Street gets green lights for exotic derivatives daily, but crypto products? Cue the bureaucratic slow-walk. Maybe they’re worried ETFs would make investing too easy—can’t have that.
Meanwhile, institutions keep building infrastructure for the inevitable. The delay won’t stop adoption, but it sure makes the SEC look allergic to modern finance.
What Does the SEC’s Continued Delay Mean for the Future of Crypto ETFs?
According to filings released on August 18, 2025, the SEC extended the review period for the Truth Social Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF until October 8, 2025. The agency cited the need for additional time to evaluate the proposed rule change.
Similarly, on Monday, the SEC delayed decisions on the CoinShares XRP ETF, the 21Shares Core XRP ETF, the Canary XRP Trust, and the Grayscale XRP Trust. Furthermore, the regulator made a similar move for the CoinShares Litecoin ETF and 21Shares Core Ethereum ETF with staking provision.
“The Commission finds it appropriate to designate a longer period within which to issue an order approving or disapproving the proposed rule change so that it has sufficient time to consider the proposed rule change and the issues raised therein,” the regulator wrote.
The new deadline for these crypto ETFs is as follows:
- Grayscale XRP Trust: October 18, 2025
- 21Shares Core XRP ETF: October 19, 2025
- CoinShares XRP ETF: October 23, 2025
- Canary XRP Trust: October 23, 2025
- CoinShares Litecoin ETF: October 23, 2025
- 21Shares Core Ethereum ETF (with staking): October 23, 2025
The SEC’s decision came shortly after it delayed taking any action for four solana ETFs until October, as reported by BeInCrypto. This follows a pattern of prolonged reviews, and as such, the latest move by the regulator isn’t entirely unexpected.
Meanwhile, the development has also impacted ETF approval odds on Polymarket, a prediction platform. Traders have now assigned a 79% chance of a Litecoin ETF getting approved by the end of this year.
The probability dropped from 82% yesterday. Similarly, the probability of an XRP ETF getting a SEC greenlight has dropped slightly to 77% after being 77.6% yesterday.
Thus, as the October deadlines approach, the crypto industry is closely watching for any signs of a more definitive verdict. The prolonged delay has left many investors and project sponsors in a state of uncertainty, as the approval of these ETFs could potentially open the door for broader institutional adoption of these crypto assets.
