Invesco Files Third Crypto ETF With Exposure To Bitcoin

Invesco, the Atlanta-based investment house with $1.3 trillion in assets under management, has filed its third application for an exchange-traded fund (ETF). This filing would be the firm’s first offering that would offer its customers exposure to Bitcoin.

Per filing lodged with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Thursday, the Invesco Bitcoin Strategy ETF will not invest directly in crypto; instead, it will seek to have full exposure to Bitcoin futures and–to a lesser extent–to other investment vehicles.

The latter assets include Bitcoin electronic-traded notes (ETNs) and ETFs traded outside of the U.S., as well as private investment trusts such as Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC).

Invesco stressed that the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) is currently the only regulated trading platform in the U.S. where Bitcoin futures contracts are traded on.

In addition, the fund may invest directly in cash, cash-like instruments or high-quality securities, including the U.S. Government securities, such as bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury.

In June this year, the firm filed two other applications for crypto-specific ETFs. These ETFs offer exposure to Bitcoin mining companies and those with cryptocurrencies on their balance sheets, such as Square, Tesla, and MicroStrategy.

Bitcoin ETFs still uncertain

The filing comes at a time when a host of U.S. investment firms are lining up in front of the SEC’s door, hoping to convince the regulator to approve a Bitcoin ETF with direct exposure to the underlying asset.

However, the Commission has been reluctant so far–citing Bitcoin’s volatility and the risk of market manipulation. It has either declined or delayed any applications put on its table.

One such example is Anthony Scaramucci’s SkyBridge Capital–last month, the SEC delayed a decision on a Bitcoin ETF proposed by the firm, pushing back the review period to August 25.

Nonetheless, as reported by Decrypt last week, the largest American crypto exchange Coinbase is confident that a Bitcoin ETF would inevitably arrive–possibly by next year.

5 August 2021 15:32