The SEC has officially approved options for BlackRock’s iShares Spot Bitcoin ETF. Options are contracts that grant the right to buy or sell an underlying asset at a certain price. The move is a major one for BlackRock’s clients that already participate in the iShares Bitcoin trust.
Options are critical for institutional adoption of Bitcoin, especially with the highly volatile crypto ETFs. Since their launch in January 2024, Bitcoin ETFs have performed extremely well, with BlackRock and Grayscale’s ETFs leading the pack. In March 2024, the success of Bitcoin ETF and large streams of inflows brought BTC to a new all-time high of $73,000.
Options could also arrive for Spot Ethereum ETFs. Last month, Nasdaq and BlackRock filed to add options to their ETH fund. However, that deadline is much further away. If approval is granted, it wouldn’t be until April of 2025, reports suggest.
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The idea of Bitcoin ETF options will only make spot BTC ETFs more attractive to institutional capital. Banks and asset managers have already granted their employees permission to pitch these ETFs to high-income clientele. According to BlackRock’s filing Friday, options on the IBIT Spot Bitcoin ETF would provide investors with a hedging and risk management tool to manage exposure to the price of bitcoin and bitcoin-related products and positions.