SEC’s Gensler Throws Crypto Punches, Dodges Bitcoin ETF Query in Congressional Hearing

Much of the hearing focused on non-crypto issues, including a looming shutdown of the federal government and whether the SEC is focusing too much on climate or other issues. As in previous hearings, Wednesday’s meeting saw an acute partisan divide, with influential Democrats praising Gensler and Republicans alleging he was harming consumers or small businesses.

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U.S. Government Shutdown, Assuming It Doesn’t Run Long, Will Slow, Not Cripple Crypto Efforts

“If the government shuts down, forward progress on bills will be stalled,” said Sheila Warren, CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation, an industry advocacy organization, who says she’s concerned about lawmakers losing the focus that’s been a challenge for the industry to build. “In the aftermath of a shutdown, it is unclear what issues […]

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Global X Refiles Spot-Bitcoin ETF Application, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner

If approved, the fund would grant investors “exposure to bitcoin with important protections that are not always available to investors that invest directly in bitcoin,” lawyers said in the filing. Global X’s spot-bitcoin applications marks the ninth active spot-bitcoin application filed with U.S. regulators, in addition to a petition by Grayscale to appeal the SEC’s […]

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BlackRock CEO Larry Fink’s Turnabout on Bitcoin $BTC Elicits Cheers, Skepticism of Crypto Cred

“Arguments have been made that ETFs, as well as bitcoin exchanges, ignore what some believe is the single most important feature of bitcoin, the ability to control their funds without the need to place trust in a third-party to manage the asset,” said Jim Iourio, managing director of TJM Institutional Services and a veteran futures […]

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BlackRock Bitcoin $BTC ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase $COIN as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner

Several other pending applications, including one on behalf of BlackRock’s money-management rival, Fidelity, have since been updated to name Coinbase as the partner for the surveillance-sharing agreements. The sponsor of a bitcoin trust must enter a surveillance-sharing agreement with a regulated market of significant size to secure a go-ahead from regulators, based on a reading […]

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U.S. Has Room for a Spot Crypto ETF to Grow Market Share as a BTC On-Ramp: Bernstein

The largest bitcoin (BTC) asset management product is Grayscale, which runs a $19 billion BTC trust (GBTC), but its dominant position may be under threat following news that investment giant Blackrock (BLK) has filed for a spot bitcoin exchange-traded-fund (ETF) in the U.S., Bernstein said in a research report Monday.

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