SEC Delays Decisions on Multiple Staking and Altcoin ETFs: What’s Next for Crypto Investors?
Regulatory limbo strikes again as the SEC hits pause on key crypto investment vehicles.
Staking and altcoin ETFs left in waiting pattern
The Securities and Exchange Commission just slammed the brakes on several eagerly anticipated ETF proposals—keeping staking-focused funds and altcoin trackers stuck in regulatory purgatory. No timelines, no explanations, just classic bureaucratic radio silence.
Market players left guessing
Traders and institutions hoping for new ways to gain crypto exposure got another lesson in patience. The delays affect multiple applicants seeking to bridge traditional finance with blockchain yields and alternative digital assets.
Same old story?
Wall Street's watchdogs continue their cautious dance with crypto innovation—approving enough to show progress while delaying anything that smells too much of actual decentralization. Because nothing says 'investor protection' like keeping everyone in the dark while traditional finance racks up fees on outdated products.
Generic framework
The SEC has been working with US exchanges on a standardized listing framework for token-based ETFs that would eliminate individual rule-change requests for qualifying assets.
The initiative would allow ETF sponsors to bypass the customary FORM 19b-4 process when underlying tokens meet predetermined criteria.
Under the proposed framework, sponsors would submit registration statements on Form S-1, observe standard 75-day review periods, and list products once the waiting periods have ended.
Market capitalization, on-exchange trading volume, and daily liquidity represent key metrics under discussion for qualification thresholds. The current rule-change pathway requires each spot crypto ETF to secure a Commission order before listing, a process designed for novel or complex products.
Moving to standing rules for qualifying assets would shorten timelines and reduce iterative comment cycles between the agency and applicants.
Approval jumpstart
Eric Balchunas said on Sept. 9 that the “memecoin ETF era [is] about to kick off” with a Dogecoin ETF slated for launch on Sept. 11 under the 40 Act structure.
Balchunas said this could potentially become “the first-ever US ETF to hold something that has no utility on purpose,” considering dogecoin was originally created as a tribute to the Doge meme.
A successful Dogecoin ETF launch could catalyze broader approval momentum for pending applications.
Seyffart previously shared that there are 92 crypto ETF applications divided across various assets, including Solana, XRP, Litecoin, and staking versions of existing products awaiting SEC decisions.
The comprehensive filing list reveals applications from major issuers, including VanEck, Grayscale, Canary, Bitwise, and Franklin Templeton, covering assets ranging from established cryptocurrencies to emerging tokens.
