Grayscale
Grayscale cites security concerns for withholding on-chain proof of reserves
Cryptocurrency investment product provider Grayscale Investments has refused to provide on-chain proof of reserves or wallet addresses to show the underlying assets of its digital currency products citing “security concerns.” In a Nov. 18 Twitter thread addressing investor concerns, Grayscale laid out information regarding the security and storage of its crypto holdings and said all crypto underlying its investment products are stored with Coinbase’s custody service, stopping short of revealing the wallet addresses. 6) Coinbase frequently performs on-chain validation. Due to security concerns, we do not make such on-chain wallet information and confirmation information publicly available through a cryptographic Proof-of-Reserve, or other advanced cryptographic accounting procedure. — Grays...
Grayscale BTC Trust trades at a record 36.7% discount, but is it justified?
U.S. investors have been waiting for a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) approval since May 2014 when the Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust filed an amendment request at the Securities and Exchange (SEC). Over the years, the SEC has rejected every applicant and the latest denial was issued to WisdomTree’s application for a spot Bitcoin ETF on Oct. 11. The SEC concluded that the offer did not have the ability “to obtain information necessary to detect, investigate, and deter fraud and market manipulation, as well as violations of exchange rules and applicable federal securities laws and rules.” Bitcoin investment trust vehicles have existed since 2013, but they have been restricted to accredited investors. Launching a spot-based BTC ETF would open the market to retail investors and a broader ...
Crypto Biz: 3AC’s founders are nowhere to be found
In the world of crypto, there’s no such thing as “too big to fail.” Three Arrows Capital, once the most recognizable hedge fund in the industry, has essentially gone belly-up after its founders believed their own hype and decided to go full-degen mode during the worst macro climate of a generation. Since the proverbial shit hit the fan last month, founders Kyle Davies and Su Zhu have kept a very low profile. So low, in fact, that their whereabouts remain a mystery, according to court documents. This week’s Crypto Biz chronicles the latest developments surrounding Three Arrows Capital and explores Grayscale’s legal proceedings against the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Liquidators can subpoena 3AC founders despite ‘tricky issues’ with crypto assets We may not ...
Grayscale reports 99% of SEC comment letters support spot Bitcoin ETF
Digital asset manager Grayscale reported overwhelming support in public comments for its application to launch a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund. In a Monday letter to investors, Grayscale said that of the more than 11,400 letters the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, had received in regards to its proposed Bitcoin (BTC) investment vehicle, “99.96 percent of those comment letters were supportive of Grayscale’s case” as of June 9. According to Grayscale, roughly 33% of the letters questioned the lack of a spot BTC ETF in the U.S., given the SEC had already approved investment vehicles linked to Bitcoin futures, as was the case for ProShares and Valkyrie. “The SEC’s actions over the past eight months […] have signaled an increased recognition of and comfort wi...
Asset manager Grayscale announces maiden ETF in Europe
The Grayscale Future of Finance UCITS ETF tracks the Bloomberg Grayscale Future of Finance Index The ETF will list on the Borsa Italiana, London Stock Exchange (LSE), and Deutsche Börse Xetra Digital asset management firm Grayscale on Monday issued a press release revealing that it is stretching its offering to European investors by listing its first European EFT. The Grayscale Future of Finance UCITS ETF will be a stark indicator of the evolution of Grayscale to the next level. The first in Europe The ETF offering is planned to get listed on the Borsa Italiana, London Stock Exchange (LSE), and Deutsche Börse Xetra under the ticker GFOF. It is structured to allow investors to interact with firms at the intersection of virtual assets, technology, and finance. The new offering will tra...
Canadian Bitcoin ETF adds 6.9K BTC in one day as GBTC discount hits record low
Bitcoin (BTC) descending to $24,000 has cost its largest institutional investment vehicle more than the average hodler. According to data from on-chain monitoring resource Coinglass on May 13, the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) is now trading at a nearly 31% discount. Grayscale CEO: Investors are “waiting for things to settle down” Amid ongoing market volatility this week, GBTC has seen its fledgling recovery fall flat on its face — for the time being. The so-called GBTC premium, long in negative territory and thus a discount in practice, has now reached its lowest ever. As of May 13, the discount was 30.6%, meaning that shares in GBTC traded at almost one third below the Bitcoin spot price (referred to as net asset value, or NAV). The figures mark a distinct turnaround for the...
Grayscale’s GBTC and ETHE products now available on Robinhood
Digital asset manager Grayscale has made its flagship Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) products available on Robinhood, the popular trading app open to millions of retail users. Beginning on Friday, Robinhood users will be able to trade Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) and Ethereum Trust (ETHE) directly through the app. Shares of GBTC provide investors with direct exposure to Bitcoin in the form of a security without having to buy or store the digital asset directly. ETHE, meanwhile, operates as an open-end investment company whose shares reflect the value of Ether held by the trust. Finally! You can now trade Grayscale Bitcoin Trust and Grayscale Ethereum Trust on Robinhood$GBTC $ETHE https://t.co/MzOJxvI7GG — Barry Silbert (@BarrySilbert) May 6, 2022 Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust is the l...
Grayscale to expand crypto fund offering into Europe
Digital asset manager Grayscale Investments is planning to expand its product offerings into Europe to tap into growing institutional demand for cryptocurrencies in the region, CEO Michael Sonnenshein confirmed Tuesday. In an interview with Bloomberg, Sonnenshein said the company was holding meetings with local partners to discuss how Grayscale’s suite of products would be rolled out in the region. The company hasn’t made any definitive plans regarding which exchanges and countries would be supported initially, though Grayscale plans to launch pilot tests in several markets across the European Union. Sonnenshein explained that Grayscale would be looking at investor behaviors and local regulations in determining its product rollout. “Although the EU is unified, we don’t view the entir...
Finance Redefined: Axie Infinity creator raises $150M, DApp daily users surge to 2.4M and more
The decentralized finance (DeFi) world saw another week of increased on-chain and developer activity even when the overall market cap took a slight dip amid overall market retrace. The creators of the popular play-to-earn nonfungible token (NFT) game Axie Infinity raised $150 million to reimburse hack victims of the Ronin bridge exploit. The decantralized application, o daily user count surged to 2.4 million in the first quarter of 2022, while SushiSwap (SUSHI) and Synthetix (SNX) were booted out of Grayscale’s popular Decentralized Finance Fund. The widely-popular DeFi protocol Yearn.finance announced its support for the newly-passed ERC-4626 tokenized vault standard. The price momentum of the majority of DeFi tokens remained in red over the past week, as the overall crypto market registe...
Grayscale CEO pleads Bitcoin spot ETF as SEC backs third BTC Futures ETF
Institutional investors rejoice, there is one more way to gain exposure to Bitcoin (BTC). The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced overnight the approval of a fourth Bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund (ETF). Fund group Teucrium is behind the most recently approved Bitcoin Futures ETF. The ETF joins a growing number of approved futures ETFs, complementing ProShares, Valkyrie, and VanEck Bitcoin Futures ETFs. The SEC filing for the Teucrium ETF. Source: SEC.gov Every Bitcoin spot ETF has been rejected to date, however, for one invested observer, the way in which the approval was made could be a boon for expectant spot investors. The plot thickens on the path to $GBTC’s spot #Bitcoin #ETF conversion… — Sonnenshein (@Sonnenshein) April 7, 2022 In a Tweet thread, G...
Sushi and Synthetix get the boot in Grayscale DeFi fund rebalancing
Digital asset management firm Grayscale, has added three new cryptocurrency assets across three main investment funds, while removing two other assets from its Decentralized Finance Fund as part of this year’s first quarterly rebalance. Grayscale removed tokens from crypto-derivatives decentralized exchange Synthetix (SNX), and decentralized exchange SushiSwap (SUSHI), from its DeFi fund after the two crypto assets failed to meet the required minimum market capitalization. No other cryptocurrencies were removed during the rebalancing. Grayscale’s DeFi fund, which was launched in July last year, currently holds approximately $8 million in assets. The digital assets remaining in the DeFi fund after the quarterly rebalance include Uniswap (UNI), Aave (AAVE), Curve (CRV), MakerDAO (MKR),...
Ethereum is like the best and worst parts of New York: Grayscale
Digital asset manager Grayscale has published a report on smart contract platforms in which it likens the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain to the best and worst parts of New York City. The report examines the granddaddy smart contract network Ethereum in comparison to newer competing blockchains such as Solana (SOL), Avalanche (AVAX), Polkadot (DOT), Cardano (ADA) and Stellar (XLM). The report comes in the wake of the firm launching a crypto fund dedicated to smart contract platforms excluding Ethereum. In a section titled “digital cities,” Grayscale analyzed Ethereum, Avalanche and Solana. The firm compared Ethereum to the Big Apple, noting that they both share similarities with issues that arise from their stature: “Ethereum is like New York City: it is vast, expensive, and congested in certain...
