SEC Acknowledges BlackRock Staking Request for Ethereum ETF

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission acknowledged Nasdaq’s proposal on Tuesday to accommodate staking for BlackRock’s spot Ethereum exchange-traded fund, signaling that the regulator could approve of the highly-anticipated rule change in the coming months.

If the proposal is approved, the world’s largest asset manager would be able to participate in Ethereum’s proof-of-stake consensus model using its ETFs’ funds, while also passing along those rewards to its shareholders, according to a filing published by the SEC.

The filing notes that the SEC could make a determination within 45 days of the document’s posting to the Federal Registrar, however, that window can be extended. And the regulator has already acknowledged similar filings from other asset managers in recent months.

In May, for example, the SEC gave notice that it was extending its decision deadline for a rule change submitted by NYSE Arca to permit staking for Bitwise’s spot Ethereum ETF. The regulator acknowledged the proposal in the Federal Registrar in early April.

Later that month, the SEC delayed its decision on Grayscale’s efforts to support staking for its flagship Ethereum ETF fund. The proposal, which was also submitted by NYSE Arca, was acknowledged by the regulator in February.

Under the proposal for the iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA), the asset manager could tap staking providers, and the resulting rewards would be treated as income for the trust. It would prevent the funds from being pooled with Ethereum belonging to other entities as well.

Inflows to spot Ethereum ETFs have outpaced those to its  Bitcoin counterparts as the asset has climbed recently to a nearly eight-month high. However, the lack of rewards from staking has been viewed as a drawback for the products since their debut a year ago.

In April, the SEC approved of a rule change allowing Nasdaq to list options for BlackRock’s spot Ethereum ETF and three other funds. This year, it has also said that it does not believe staking is subject to securities laws.

Spot Ethereum ETFs have generated $9.4 billion in net inflows since their debut, with BlackRock’s ETF contributing $9.5 billion, according to crypto data provider CoinGlass. Inflows from seven other products have been outweighed by $4.3 billion in outflows from the Grayscale Ethereum ETF (ETHE). That fund differs from the others because it was a conversion from a trust and carries the highest expense ratio.  

Ethereum was recently changing hands around $3,800 on Tuesday, a 0.4% decrease over the past day, according to crypto data provider CoinGecko. Over the past month, it’s swelled 54% alongside other altcoins, including XRP and Solana.