Grayscale to Launch First US Spot Chainlink ETF This Week, Says Nate Geraci

Wall Street's crypto gateway just got a new on-ramp. Grayscale is reportedly set to launch the first U.S. spot ETF for Chainlink (LINK) this week, a move that could funnel institutional capital directly into the oracle network's native token.

The Institutional Bridge

This isn't just another fund. A spot ETF means Grayscale would buy and hold actual LINK tokens to back the shares it issues. It's a direct pipeline—traditional finance dollars converting into on-chain crypto assets without the investor ever touching a private key. For LINK, it's a legitimacy stamp that bypasses years of regulatory skepticism.

Why Chainlink? Why Now?

Grayscale's bet signals a pivot beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum. Chainlink's oracle networks feed real-world data to smart contracts, making them essential plumbing for DeFi and beyond. An ETF suggests the asset manager sees durable, institutional demand for exposure to this infrastructure layer—not just speculative froth.

The Ripple Effect

Watch the flows. Approval could trigger a wave of similar products for other 'blue-chip' altcoins, reshaping the crypto ETF landscape from a two-horse race into a diversified portfolio. It also pressures the SEC to clarify its stance on a whole class of digital assets it once labeled securities.

A cynical take? Another fee-generating wrapper for Wall Street to sell—because why own the asset when you can own a paper claim on it, for a modest annual percentage. But for LINK bulls, it's the ultimate validation: your favorite oracle token is now a ticker on a Bloomberg terminal.

Bloomberg Intelligence Tips December 2 Launch

The launch timeline lines up with estimates from Bloomberg Intelligence.

Senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas has pointed to December 2 as the expected debut date, citing internal listings data that show Grayscale’s product queued for near-term approval.

Balchunas has also warned that this is only the beginning. He recently said the US market could see a wave of more than 100 new digital-asset-linked ETFs over the next six months, adding that at least five spot crypto funds are scheduled to hit the market within days.

The fresh supply follows a year of regulatory shifts in Washington that have softened resistance toward crypto-backed investment products.

There are 5 spot crypto ETFs launching over next 6 days. Beyond that we don't have exact but we expect a steady supply of them (likely over 100 in next six months). Nice chart showing what's launched and what's on deck from @JSeyff pic.twitter.com/eArnDUN5JH

Grayscale’s Chainlink ETF will be created by converting the firm’s original LINK trust, which launched in late 2020, into a public-market vehicle.

Like other converted products from the company, the fund will track the spot price of LINK and include staking-related returns where permitted.

The MOVE comes as competition heats up. Rival asset manager Bitwise is also preparing its own LINK ETF, setting the stage for a race between issuers to capture institutional and retail flows tied to the oracle-focused token.

Grayscale has previously described Chainlink as a key bridge between blockchains and real-world financial systems, highlighting its role in supplying data, pricing feeds and settlement triggers to both crypto and traditional platforms.

New Altcoin ETFs Steal Spotlight as Bitcoin Funds Struggle

The new Chainlink ETF comes amid the rollout of a wave of new altcoin ETFs.

Over the past month, issuers have launched products tied to Solana, XRP, and Dogecoin, with more XRP and Dogecoin funds set to list next week.

The Canary Capital XRP ETF (XRPC) debuted with $58 million in net inflows, the highest opening-day haul for any ETF this year, edging out the Bitwise solana Staking ETF (BSOL), which launched with $57 million.

BSOL has quickly become one of the early success stories of 2025, accumulating over $660 million in assets within three weeks and avoiding a single day of outflows.

As reported, the New York Stock Exchange has approved the listing of Grayscale’s XRP and dogecoin exchange-traded funds, clearing both products to begin trading on Monday.

NYSE Arca, the exchange’s ETF-focused subsidiary, filed certifications on Friday confirming the listing and registration of the Grayscale XRP Trust ETF Shares and the Grayscale Dogecoin Trust ETF Shares under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Bitwise Asset Management has also unveiled the Bitwise Dogecoin ETF as investor appetite for altcoin exposure continues to increase.