Crypto ETF issuers may not have to wait much longer to expand beyond spot bitcoin and ether funds.
According to Bloomberg ETF analysts Eric Balchunas and James Seyffart, there is now a 75% or greater chance that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will approve a range of spot altcoin ETFs by the end of 2025.
Currently, eight separate proposals for spot funds are pending with the SEC, including ETFs linked to solana (SOL), litecoin (LTC), dogecoin (DOGE), XRP, cardano (ADA), avalanche (AVAX), polkadot (DOT), and hedera (HBAR). Among these, Balchunas and Seyffart believe that index and basket-style ETFs, which combine multiple cryptocurrencies, have the highest likelihood of approval, placing those chances at 90%.
The first crucial deadline arrives on July 2, when the SEC must respond to proposals submitted by firms like Grayscale, Bitwise, Franklin Templeton, and Hashdex for basket-style funds. Decisions on single-asset ETFs, such as SOL, DOGE, XRP, and ADA, are anticipated in October, while others will follow in November and December. These are the final deadlines, indicating that the SEC, which has previously postponed its verdict, will be obliged to issue final rulings.
Some issuers have expressed their intent to launch funds tracking smaller-cap tokens like SUI, Trump Coin (TRUMP), and Melania Coin (MELANIA), but these proposals have not yet progressed to the formal 19b-4 stage, which is necessary to initiate an SEC review.
Seyffart mentioned that SUI's chances appear to be comparable to those of the other altcoin filings. "I'll need to delve deeper for an official odds count, but I'd say it has similar prospects to the other altcoin ETFs," he stated.
The outlook for altcoin ETFs shifted significantly after U.S. President Donald Trump took office and appointed Paul Atkins, known for his pro-crypto stance, as chairman of the SEC.
Atkins recently told industry participants that innovation "has been stifled" and the existing regulatory framework "badly needs attention."
