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SEC delays set deadline for Bitcoin ETF approval to early 2024

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The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) — the financial regulator with the final say over allowing a spot cryptocurrency exchange-traded fund (ETF) — may be moving closer to giving the investment vehicle the green light after several years of applications.

In June, the world’s largest asset management firm, BlackRock, added its application to the bundle of Bitcoin (BTC) ETF filings currently being reviewed by the SEC, creating renewed interest among investors in and out of the crypto space. The company later added a “surveillance-sharing agreement” with cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase following reports the SEC could be more open to accepting an ETF application under such conditions.

BlackRock is one of many firms with crypto ETF applications in the SEC pipeline. ARK Invest, under CEO Cathie Wood, filed to list its ARK 21Shares spot Bitcoin ETF in May 2023 and received the most recent delay from the SEC on Aug. 11, pushing back the deadline another 21 days as the regulator opens the proposal to public comments.

Under SEC guidelines, the federal regulator has the authority to delay ETF applications for up to 240 days — by opening them to public comment or otherwise — from the first filing in the Federal Register. Even so, the SEC has never approved a spot Bitcoin ETF proposal from any firm in the United States and only started accepting investment vehicles tied to BTC futures in October 2021.

One of the challenges behind getting the SEC to allow a spot crypto ETF may be the nature of the investment vehicle. Bitcoin futures-linked ETFs also enable individuals and companies to invest in the crypto asset without an exchange, while a spot BTC ETF could involve holding Bitcoin within a fund for more direct investment.

Gemini co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss were the first to apply for a crypto exchange-traded product listing using their Bitcoin Trust in July 2013, when many regulators might not have even understood digital currencies and the SEC ultimately rejected the application.

Stuart Barton, co-founder and chief investment officer of Volatility Shares — the firm behind the listing of a leveraged Bitcoin futures ETF in June — told Cointelegraph its process of applying with the SEC involved back-and-forth negotiations. The regulator proposed changes to disclosure documents but was generally “cooperative.” He speculated that smaller firms might have more of an edge with the SEC on a spot crypto ETF offering.

“Big companies have been doing the same thing they’ve been doing for years,” said Barton. “Yeah, there are new applications, new filings… they haven’t really moved the argument along.”

At the time of publication, major asset management firms with spot Bitcoin ETF applications under review by the SEC include BlackRock, ARK Invest, Bitwise Asset Management, VanEck, WisdomTree, Invesco and Galaxy Digital, Fidelity and Valkyrie. With the maximum 240-day extension window available to the SEC, the final deadline for ARK’s Bitcoin ETF is in January 2024, while approval or disapproval of all the other firms’ offerings could come as late as March 2024.

Related: SEC decision on Bitcoin ETFs won’t leave out Wall Street giants

Part of the SEC’s seeming reluctance to sign off on a spot crypto ETF could be from the nature of the crypto market in the United States, which, while regulated, has left many lawmakers and industry leaders calling for greater clarity and oversight. The SEC is currently pursuing enforcement cases against Coinbase, Binance and Ripple, and it has already levied financial penalties against firms such as Bittrex. Barton added:

“Both sides are going to bend a little bit. I think the SEC are going to have to be a little bit more open-minded […] There’s going to be a lot more bending, I think, from the crypto side.”

U.S. lawmakers are currently considering legislation to better define the roles the SEC and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) should have in regulating digital assets. In addition, both the regulator and industry may have to consider court decisions until regulations are better defined, as a judge in the SEC vs. Ripple case largely ruled that XRP was not a security, creating ramifications for everyone dealing with crypto in the United States.

“[The ETF application process] puts the SEC in an incredibly powerful position,” said Barton. “Gensler has a great amount of sway in that; the political makeup of the commission definitely influences that.”

Magazine: Crypto regulation: Does SEC Chair Gary Gensler have the final say?

As of August, certain analysts have suggested that the chances of a spot Bitcoin ETF being approved in the U.S. are close to 65% based partly on BlackRock’s application. Both Cathie Wood and Grayscale — the asset manager currently suing the SEC over its ETF application — have hinted that the regulator could approve multiple applications simultaneously to avoid any company having an advantage over another.

Cryptocurrency

BONK Explodes by 20% Daily as Bitcoin (BTC) Remains Solid at $108K: Weekend Watch

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Bitcoin’s stagnation continues as the asset has made little to no attempt to move away from the $108,000 level.

While most larger-cap alts have produced insignificant gains, TON and BONK have emerged as the biggest gainers on a relatively calm Sunday morning.

BTC Calm at $108K

It has been a quiet period for the primary cryptocurrency. In fact, the latest major price moves came about two weeks ago – on June 23 and 24 – when it dumped to $98,000 before it soared past $105,000 a day later as the Middle East war was going rampantly.

Ever since then, though, the asset has been stuck in a tight trading range between $105,000 and $110,000. It tested the lower boundary on Wednesday, where the bulls stepped up and pushed it south toward the upper one.

On Thursday, BTC showed signs of a breakout attempt when it spiked to a multi-week peak of $110,500, but the bears stepped up at this point and didn’t allow a surge to a new all-time high.

The landscape has been somewhat unchanged since then, as bitcoin quickly returned to $108,000 and has not moved from that level for a few days. Its market capitalization stands strong at $2.150 trillion, while its dominance over the alts is at over 63% on CG.

BTCUSD. Source: TradingView
BTCUSD. Source: TradingView

BONK on the Run

As the graph below will demonstrate, most larger-cap alts are slightly in the green on a daily scale. Such minor increases are evident from the likes of ETH, BNB, SOL, TRX, DOGE, ADA, BCH, LINK, and XRP. In contrast, HYPE and PI have lost some traction over the past 24 hours.

The biggest gainers are TON and BONK. The former has risen by over 9% and sits at $3, while the meme coin has exploded by 20% and now trades at $0.000022.

The cumulative market cap of all crypto assets has remained relatively stable at $3.4 trillion on CG.

Cryptocurrency Market Overview. Source: QuantifyCrypto
Cryptocurrency Market Overview. Source: QuantifyCrypto
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Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. See Disclaimer for more information.

Cryptocurrency charts by TradingView.

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Cryptocurrency

We Asked 4 AIs How High Ripple (XRP) Will Go in 2025: The Answers Might Shock You

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TL;DR

  • Ripple’s price actions are a big prediction topic within the cryptocurrency community, with analysts and believers rushing to offer their insights and forecasts.
  • However, we decided to take a different approach this time and asked four of the biggest AI chatbots (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, and Gemini) about their take on the matter.

2025 Price Targets

All four AI solutions seemed very coherent about XRP’s price potential this year, as Perplexity explained it:

“Ripple’s (XRP) price in 2025 is broadly expected to rise significantly from current levels, with expert forecasts varying but generally bullish.”

Although Ripple’s cross-border token has stalled in the past few months and is actually slightly in the red since the start of the year, all AIs had similar conclusions about its price moves until the end of the year.

ChatGPT laid out three potential scenarios, with the conservative one being at $3.4, which would match the asset’s all-time (and yearly) high. The optimistic is set at $5-$6, and the “aggressive forecasts” put the token at $10-$15 by the end of the year.

Google’s Gemini had similar ideas in mind, saying that “a realistic high could be in the $5-$10 range.” Perplexity also joined the $5-$10 club, which could be reached under “favorable conditions” (more on that later).

Grok was slightly more specific and was the only one that said XRP can finish the year lower than its current price tag. It noted that a “realistic price range” for the asset this year is somewhere between $1.8 and $5.81. Although that’s a pretty wide range, it concluded that the most likely peak will come somewhere between $3 and $4.5.

The Favorable Conditions

When it came down to outlining the factors that could impact XRP’s price moves this year, the AIs were once again aligned in their answers. First, they mentioned regulatory clarity and the official conclusion of the lawsuit against the SEC.

Although Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse stated in March that the case had been resolved and there had been several developments on the matter, the judge overseeing the case has yet to agree fully.

Second, the AIs brought up institutional adoption and bullish partnerships, such as those with Santander, SBI Holdings, and others. A spot XRP ETF will also play a significant role in the asset’s price trajectory this year, if approved, said the chatbots. According to ETF experts, the current odds stand at nearly 100%.

Lastly, the AI solutions highlighted the overall crypto market trends:

“Bitcoin’s post-halving performance and a pro-crypto U.S. administration under President Trump could fuel bullish sentiment across the crypto market, benefiting XRP,” – answered Grok, which was similar to what the others had to say.

Despite these bullish predictions for 2025, all four chatbots clarified that these are just that – speculative forecasts that might or might not come to fruition. Investors should do their own research before allocating funds to any cryptocurrency (or other asset, for that matter).

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Ethereum Price to Hit $6K This Year? Analysts Make Bold Call

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If pseudonymous analyst Weslad is to be believed, Ethereum (ETH) is caught in a tug-of-war between wildly differing futures: a historic surge past $6,000 or a soul-sapping plunge to $1,800.

The market technician claims that ETH is completing a massive ABCDE wave structure within a years-long “symmetrical pennant,” which can only mean one thing: explosion.

The Roaring Bull Case

In a recent breakdown, Weslad explained that Ethereum’s price action since its $4,851 all-time high has formed a giant consolidation pattern. According to him, this structure is now approaching a critical inflection point known as wave D, testing its upper boundary.

At the same time, a bullish Inverse Head and Shoulders (IH&S) pattern is emerging on the daily chart, with its neckline acting as stubborn resistance near $2,855.

This technical confluence suggests a coiled spring ready to unleash tremendous energy into the market, leading the analyst to state unequivocally:

“A confirmed breakout above the neckline [$2,855] would likely validate both the IH&S and the breakout from wave D, setting the stage for a potential expansion move toward the $6,000 target and beyond.”

Weslad’s audacious target found an ally in fellow strategist Jeremy Fielder, who declared in a video posted on X:

“We’re looking at $6,500 Ethereum by the end of the year and then a possible 10,000 Ethereum in early next year… Regulation is now pro-crypto. That’s all you need to know.”

He based his argument on the accelerating adoption of Web3 and a favorable regulatory shift, dismissing granular metrics in favor of a sweeping bullish tide.

While not as lofty a milestone as Weslad’s and Fielder’s, market watcher Titan of Crypto’s $4,100 target is not far off the ballpark. His thesis is hinged on Ethereum’s successful recovery back inside its crucial weekly trading range, noting that momentum is building towards the range high.

Looming Bear Trap

But don’t celebrate just yet. Weslad’s otherwise bullish analysis also comes with a stark warning for the downside scenario. He suggested that if ETH faces rejection at the critical $2,855 neckline resistance or the upper boundary of the pennant, a retracement into wave E becomes highly probable.

According to him, this trajectory would drag the price down towards a “high-confluence demand zone” spanning $1,400 to $1,800. That’s a potential 40% collapse from current levels.

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