The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday approved Nasdaq Inc.'s application to allow the exchange to list options contracts related to the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF. Analysts believe that this marks the removal of a significant barrier before derivatives related to this product begin trading.
The SEC emphasized that this approval will allow investors to hedge their Bitcoin positions in the options market to mitigate the inherent volatility of Bitcoin. The iShares Bitcoin Trust has always been the most liquid spot Bitcoin ETF, which helps meet the requirements for trading options. The SEC also stressed that extensive regulatory mechanisms will be implemented to monitor potential market manipulation and ensure orderly trading.
Following the SEC's approval, these contracts still need approval from the Options Clearing Corporation and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) before they can begin trading. Currently, other exchanges have also submitted applications to launch options products for iShares funds and other spot Bitcoin ETFs.
Analysts state that getting the SEC to change its stance is an important step for options listing, as it will attract more and larger investors, while also bringing more liquidity to ETFs. It is expected that similar options will soon receive approval as well.
The trading symbol for this Bitcoin ETF is IBIT, which is the largest exchange-traded fund directly investing in Bitcoin. Since this fund and other competing products received SEC approval in January of this year, they have attracted approximately $22.7 billion in assets

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Analysts believe that persuading the SEC to change its stance is an important step for options to be listed, as this will help attract more and larger investors, while also providing more liquidity for ETFs. It is expected that other similar options will soon be approved as well

- The SEC approved Nasdaq's application to list options related to the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF, removing a significant barrier before trading begins.  
- This approval allows investors to hedge their Bitcoin positions in the options market, addressing Bitcoin's inherent volatility, and includes regulatory measures to monitor market manipulation.  
- Following SEC approval, the contracts require clearance from the Options Clearing Corp. and the CFTC before trading, with expectations for similar options to gain approval soon.

Bitcoin options listing clears the most important obstacle! US SEC approves IBIT options listing