WisdomTree Lists Bitcoin ETP on Deutsche Boerse as ETF Application Awaits SEC Review

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14 April 2021

Asset manager WisdomTree Investments announced Wednesday it has listed its bitcoin exchange-traded product (ETP) on Deutsche Boerse’s Xetra market, based in Frankfurt.

The firm said the WisdomTree Bitcoin ETP tracks the spot price of bitcoin has a total expense ratio of 0.95%, and is trading under the ticker “WBIT.”

WisdomTree said the product will give investors access to bitcoin without having to hold the crypto directly, store private access keys or interact with the digital currency infrastructure in any way. In March, WisdomTree said it had taken on Coinbase as its second custodian for the WisdomTree Bitcoin ETP.

“The Xetra listing, along with the recent appointment of Coinbase Custody as our second custodian, will appeal to a wide range of professional investors and really demonstrates our commitment to delivering a superior investment experience to those allocating to our Bitcoin ETP,” said Jason Guthrie, WisdomTree European head of capital markets and digital assets.

The listing comes against the backdrop of a looming decision by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over whether to approve the first bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) for U.S. investors.

On April 9, the SEC officially started its review of WisdomTree’s bitcoin ETF application. 

So far, the SEC has blocked all attempts at launching such a vehicle, rejecting over a dozen applications in past years. 

That hasn’t stopped Galaxy Digital, NYDIG, SkyBridge Capital and others from submitting bitcoin ETF applications to the SEC in recent months.

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