what is a Bitcoin ETF? A Bitcoin ETF would keep track of the bitcoin benchmark index while also replicating its performance, much in the same way as traditional ETFs do. This would let traders with brokerage accounts make investments in Bitcoin (BTC), with the added benefit of not having to go through the technical process of purchasing the cryptocurrency and trying to store it securely.
Moreover, the types of Bitcoin ETFs proposed so far, such as the one by the Winklevoss Twins, had Bitcoin (BTC) as its underlying asset. Therefore, an investor buying such an ETF would also indirectly be buying Bitcoin. However, instead of holding the actual cryptocurrency in their digital wallets, the investor would have a portfolio with a bitcoin ETF. Despite this, it would somewhat be similar to holding bitcoin itself, since the ETF would be tracking the cryptocurrency price.
The primary distinction between purchasing Bitcoin (BTC) and acquiring a Bitcoin ETF is that with the latter, the investor would be holding a regulated investment that is tradable on exchanges without having to deal with how to securely store the investment.
How Will A Bitcoin ETF Affect The Price?
With the introduction of Bitcoin ETFs, there’s a good chance that cryptocurrencies could be added to the mainstream investor’s portfolio. Institutional investors prefer to trade and hold regulated assets and crypto ETFs could encourage them to invest in digital currencies.
A number of market analysts believe that Bitcoin ETFs could help increase overall cryptocurrency adoption, while also significantly driving their prices upwards. One of the reasons crypto ETFs could lead to a surge in cryptocurrency prices is because they could potentially increase their scarcity and liquidity. Usually, when an asset or store of value becomes scarce, there’s a substantial increase in its price.
Compared to when Bitcoin futures contracts were launched, it can be argued that with the entry of Bitcoin ETFs into the market, there will be a more sustainable increase in price. The reason for this is that many investors shifted from the physical crypto market to the derivatives market shortly after Bitcoin futures contracts were introduced.
In addition, most crypto traders were not experienced enough to grasp the supply and demand effects of BTC futures contracts, which then partly contributed to the market crash after their launch. However, with Bitcoin ETFs, investors will actually be trading Bitcoin (BTC) itself. This, in turn, could drive prices towards the higher end in the long-term.
