A bitcoin spot ETF could open the floodgates for greater crypto demand (w/ Eric Balchunas)

Chain Reaction - A podcast by TechCrunch, Yashad Kulkarni, Maggie Stamets, Kell Keller, Jacquelyn Melinek

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For this week’s news episode, Jacquelyn talks with Eric Balchunas, senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg, alongside TechCrunch+ editor-in-chief Alex Wilhelm. Balchunas is the author of The Institutional ETF Toolbox and The Bogle Effect. He also co-hosts Bloomberg’s Trillions podcast and ETF IQ show. Spot bitcoin exchange traded funds, or ETFs, have been a hot topic in the crypto community for many years, but have recently gotten more attention due to Jacobi Asset Management listing Europe’s first bitcoin spot ETF, almost two years after its initial approval. Meanwhile, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently delayed deadlines for bitcoin spot ETF applications. We dive into what’s going on with the bitcoin spot ETFs in the U.S., why it matters and the odds of the SEC approving one in the near future. We also talk about Europe’s first bitcoin spot ETF, how these investment vehicles in general could impact crypto exchanges’ trading volumes and what else is in store for them.