Samara Cohen, BlackRock's Chief Investment Officer for ETFs and Index Investments, stated that in the foreseeable future, only Bitcoin and Ethereum are likely to be traded through ETFs. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Cohen mentioned that while Bitcoin and Ethereum meet the minimum requirements for ETFs set by investment giants, no other digital assets come close to these standards.
Cohen also highlighted that aside from the technical challenges encountered when launching new ETFs, there is currently no market demand for ETFs of other currencies, particularly Solana. 'We are really focused on the viability of investments to determine which assets meet the standards and can be delivered through ETFs,' Cohen said in the interview. 'For us, both from an investment viability perspective and from client feedback, Bitcoin and Ethereum absolutely meet the requirements, but we may have to wait a while before seeing other assets enter the market.'
The successful launch of the Ethereum ETF last week led to the highest weekly trading volume for crypto funds since May, surpassing $14.8 billion. This has sparked speculation about the next developments in the market. Solana is considered the most likely candidate for the next asset, with VanEck and 21Shares having already submitted applications for Solana ETFs in the United States.
Many are optimistic about Solana as an asset, viewing it as a faster and cheaper alternative to Ethereum. However, the absence of Solana CME futures, unlike Bitcoin and Ethereum, is seen as a major obstacle to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approving a Solana ETF. This assumption is further supported by Franklin Templeton, a fund management company, describing Solana as 'an exciting and significant development that we believe will drive the growth of the crypto sector.'
According to CoinGecko, Solana accounts for approximately 3% of the overall crypto market value, with a market capitalization of $82 billion.
