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After a decade of fund issuers attempting to provide US bitcoin ETFs, these launches in January 2024 had been a astronomical deal. Ether ETFs then hit US markets six months later.
This present day marks yet one other date to undergo in thoughts, with the Bitwise Solana Staking ETF (BSOL) going are living on the Original York Inventory Replace.
“Here’s one in every of the astronomical property; it’s on the Mount Rushmore of crypto,” Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan knowledgeable me. “We don’t have that many of these launches, so right here is a actually animated 2nd.”
Solana’s market cap is roughly $110 billion — within the befriend of handiest BTC ($2.3 trillion), ETH ($495 billion), tether ($183 billion), XRP ($158 billion) and BNB ($156 billion).
Before we fetch into the request of for a US solana ETF, let’s originate with originate timing — as Bitwise purchased to market before opponents. Hougan admitted to me that a fine thoughts — esteem that of Multicoin Capital in vogue counsel Greg Xethalis — may perhaps more eloquently rate what went down:
The Bitwise S-1 filed on Oct. 8 incorporated the main language that Bloomberg Intelligence analyst James Seyffart pointed out (below). That gave BSOL a direction to originate 20 days later.
“As an issuer, it’s seemingly you’ll’t let the government being dysfunctional cease your exiguous enterprise plans; we don’t know when the shutdown will be over,” Hougan said. “These filings had been entire, they had been prepared and so under the guidelines region up within the [Investment Company Act of 1940] they compose of marched to market whereas you don’t have that delaying amendment.”
Bitwise intends to stake 100% of the Fund’s SOL holdings — aiming to maximise publicity to moderate staking rewards round 7%. BSOL appears to be like to meet redemptions on a T+2 basis given a frequent “cooldown” length — to unstake SOL — of Forty eight hours or less. All the draw thru unparalleled situations, Page 90 of the fund’s S-1 describes what would happen:
With that out of the plot, what compose of request of will we even scrutinize for SOL ETFs?
Hougan himself said at DAS London earlier this month that many institutional merchants driving this bull market “can’t dispute solana.” BlackRock’s Matt Kunke knowledgeable me on stage at the identical occasion that the world’s largest asset manager used to be maintaining off on pursuing a SOL ETF given many institutions tranquil want training on BTC and ETH.
What a bunch of institutions/financial advisers enact must make investments in, though, is stablecoin and tokenization direct, Hougan argued. It’s laborious to safe other folks bearish about the potential of these segments. Stablecoin market cap is nearing $300 billion, whereas the tokenized right-world property (RWAs) market stands at roughly $35 billion.
While ETH is the dominant player right here, Solana has a subject cloth and growing fraction. Solana Policy Institute president Kristin Smith labeled the blockchain as “severe financial infrastructure for the plot forward for the digital financial system.”
This chart from RWA.xyz chart exhibits the worth of stablecoins/tokenized RWAs on every chain:
“It’s laborious to hang over the subsequent five years who will safe,” Hougan said. “So I rep from the conventional target market, they’re going to must beget both ETH and solana.”
US bitcoin ETFs had unparalleled success out of the gate. ETH merchandise before every thing seen underwhelming hobby — though flows have picked up in latest months, Blockworks Compare info exhibits:
Tale and timing are severe for ETF launches to be profitable. BSOL involves market when this stablecoin/tokenization theme is more outlined. ETH ETFs didn’t have that tailwind befriend in July 2024.
Thus, Hougan said of solana merchandise: “Adjusted for dimension, I rep it may per chance perhaps probably per chance perhaps be potentially the most profitable ETP originate of all time.”
No longer essentially wherever plot the $38 billion or so of get inflows bitcoin ETFs seen of their first year, he clarified — calling that an “absurd comparability.” Nonetheless flows that symbolize a bigger percentage of the powerful smaller SOL market cap.
While we eager on SOL at the brand new time, it’s worth noting that Canary Capital’s hedera (HBAR) and litecoin (LTC) ETFs also went are living at the brand new time on the Nasdaq.
The government will probably must reopen before we fetch the rotund flood of crypto ETF launches the market finally expects. When that occurs is somebody’s guess.



