Bitcoin ETF is an exchange-traded fund composed of Bitcoin or assets related to the price of Bitcoin, tracking Bitcoin currency or the price of an asset related to the price of Bitcoin. Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) is an open-end investment fund product. It tracks a specific market index, commodity or asset class (for example: the price of a single commodity or a large collection of securities). Exchange-traded funds trade like stocks and can be listed on a stock exchange and bought and sold at any time during the trading day.

For example: Bitcoin spot, Bitcoin-related concept stocks, futures contracts, commodities and other underlying assets can be counted as assets related to the price of Bitcoin. Therefore, Bitcoin ETFs include Bitcoin futures contract ETFs, Bitcoin spot ETFs, Bitcoin commodity ETFs, etc. Buying a Bitcoin ETF is equivalent to investing in Bitcoin indirectly. When the price of Bitcoin goes up, the price of the Bitcoin ETF goes up and vice versa.

The concept of a Bitcoin ETF began in the early days of the cryptocurrency. As the popularity of cryptocurrencies increased at that time and the price of Bitcoin skyrocketed, more and more retail/ordinary investors saw the potential of Bitcoin and were eager to invest in Bitcoin. However, due to the high-risk nature of the crypto market and factors such as legal deposits and withdrawals, most investors do not want to invest directly in Bitcoin. They prefer to invest in Bitcoin in a low-risk and legal way. Hence, the Bitcoin ETF was born. Its purpose is to help investors in the traditional financial field indirectly make Bitcoin-related investments from a legal perspective.

Currently, Bitcoin ETFs are mainly divided into two categories: Bitcoin futures contract ETFs and Bitcoin spot ETFs

Bitcoin futures contract ETFs

Bitcoin Futures Contract ETF, as the name suggests, is an exchange-traded fund based on Bitcoin futures contracts.

In traditional finance, a futures contract is a standardized contract in which two parties agree to exchange a specific amount of an asset at a specific price on a specific date. Bitcoin futures contracts are cryptocurrency derivatives similar to traditional futures contracts. The content of the contract is that both parties agree to buy or sell a fixed number of Bitcoins at a specific price on a certain day. The Bitcoin Futures Contract ETFcreates a contract based on the current price of Bitcoin and trades it on a designated exchange. Simply put, if the current price of the Bitcoin futures contract purchased by the investor is higher than the agreed price on the expiration date, the investor will make a profit; and vice versa.

Among all Bitcoin ETFs, the Bitcoin Futures Contract ETF is currently the Bitcoin ETF with the largest number of issues. The distribution scope includes the United States, Hong Kong, Canada and other regions. Currently, there are seven Bitcoin futures contract ETFs issued in the United States alone, including ProShares’ Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO), Valkyrie’s Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BTF) and VanEck’s Bitcoin Strategy ETF (XBTF).

Among them, the most famous Bitcoin futures contract ETF is the first Bitcoin futures contract ETF launched by ProShares on NYSE Arca, ProShares BItcoin Strategy ETF (BITO). It was approved by the SEC on October 19, 2021, and is the first Bitcoin ETF in the United States.