Grayscale, the digital currency investment manager, made a move in the cryptocurrency market by filing for the registration of a new "mini" version of its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) yesterday (Monday). This new offering is set to operate under the ticker symbol "BTC" and aims to provide investors with tax-free exposure to Bitcoin.

Bitcoin Mini Trust to Enhance Investor Options

The filing, submitted to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), marks a strategic expansion of Grayscale's offerings in the cryptocurrency investment landscape. If approved, the Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust would be listed on the New York Stock Exchange as an independent entity from Grayscale’s main GBTC fund.

According to the filing, shares of the new Bitcoin trust will be distributed to existing GBTC shareholders, with an undisclosed amount of Bitcoin contributed by GBTC to the new trust. This move is seen as a step towards offering investors a cost-competitive product, as highlighted by Bloomberg's ETF analyst, James Seyffart, who mentioned that it would likely be a non-taxable event for shareholders.

The announcement comes against the backdrop of Bitcoin's soaring price, hitting a new all-time high of $71,415 on March 11, coinciding with Grayscale's filing. This surge in Bitcoin's value underscores the growing interest and adoption of cryptocurrencies among investors.

Today, Grayscale submitted a Form S-1 for a new spot Bitcoin ETF called Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Upon appropriate regulatory approvals, the ticker for this product would be $BTC.

Pending approval, we plan for this new ETF to… pic.twitter.com/1EQk7jan2R

— Grayscale (@Grayscale) March 12, 2024

Zero Fees for Bitcoin Trust ETF Sparks Competition

In a related development, the asset manager VanEck revealed plans to reduce all its sponsor fees to zero for the first $1.5 billion of funds in its Bitcoin Trust ETF until March 31, 2025. This move reflects the intensifying competition and efforts among market participants to attract investors in the rapidly evolving cryptocurrency space.

However, while Bitcoin-related ETFs continue to gain momentum, the outlook for Ether-based ETFs appears less optimistic. The SEC's lack of communication and silence on Ether ETF approvals has cast doubts on their potential approval by May. Bloomberg's Senior ETF analyst, Eric Balchunas, downgraded the likelihood of an Ether ETF approval to just 35%, citing the absence of feedback from the regulatory authority as a concerning factor.