Bitwise filed an 8(a) form with the SEC on Friday for its spot Dogecoin ETF. The initiative suggests that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) might approve another spot DOGE ETF soon.
Senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas at Bloomberg Intelligence revealed that the fund may start trading within the next 20 days. Bitwise’s recent filing comes as it has already successfully launched its staking Solana ETF, which has attracted over $500 million in assets.
Bitwise’s DOGE ETF awaits SEC decision in 20 days
The SEC had put a hold on its decision on the Bitwise Dogecoin ETF application in June, less than a month after delaying the Grayscale Dogecoin Trust application. According to Bitwise’s S-1 and 19b-4 forms submitted to the regulator to create the DOGE fund, the fund will hold DOGE as its primary asset and leverage the CF Dogecoin-Dollar Settlement Price to determine the fund’s Net Asset Value (NAV).
The traditional ETF approval procedure typically involves extensive review periods by regulators and may even result in potential delays. However, Bitwise’s DOGE spot fund application bypasses much of that bureaucracy.
Bitwise’s decision to utilize the SEC’s 8(a) procedure for their Dogecoin spot ETF application removes the delaying amendment from the S-1 application. The non-standard listing will also automatically become effective after 20 days unless the SEC takes separate action to delay it.
Bitwise’s filing comes as the U.S. is on the verge of its longest government shutdown in history. The shutdown has left the SEC operating under its own shutdown plan, which has significantly limited what staff can work on, as many are furloughed.
Following the October 1 government shutdown, the regulator approved a flurry of listing standards, paving the way for dozens of crypto ETF applications to be processed quickly. The SEC also issued guidance a week after the shutdown, which clarified the processes for firms seeking to go public.
The agency revealed that firms wanting to go public can file an S-1 registration statement without what’s called a delaying amendment. The delaying amendment allows ETFs to launch after 20 days, and also gives the SEC time to work through comments.
Any changes made to filings may restart the clock for ETFs to take effect in 20 days. Once an ETF’s asset meets listing standards, the firm can potentially launch its crypto ETFs without the SEC’s sign-off.
REX-Osprey establishes the first spot Dogecoin ETF
The Bitwise DOGE fund will be the second ETF tracking the memecoin in the sector. The REX-Osprey Dogecoin ETF (DOJE) also launched recently.
DOJE was established under the Investment Company Act of 1933 and saw a rise in its daily volume and inflows. However, the ETF’s robust flows have reduced, moving from over $35 million to $27 million today.
REX-Osprey Dogecoin ETF is the first U.S. spot ETF for DOGE, launched on September 18. The launch saw traders pile in, sending volumes soaring and surpassing $24 million in trading volume within the first few hours after launch.
Balchunas acknowledged that the fund’s launch was far more than he had thought. He revealed that the surge was five times greater than any of the XRP futures ETFs achieved on day one, and DOJE accomplished it in only 90 minutes.
The ETF analyst also noted that the REX-Osprey’s DOGE fund blew past expectations, surpassing his initial over/under benchmark of $2.5 million for opening-day volume. He called that target respectable and nothing too special, but DOJE crossed $6 million within the first hour.
At the time of publication, DOGE is currently exchanging hands around $0.1660, up more than 1.7% in the last 24 hours. On-chain data also revealed that Dogecoin has dropped 3.75% in the last 7 days and nearly 20% in the last 30 days.
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