SEC deems Grayscale GBTC conversion denial to a spot Bitcoin ETF ‘well-founded’
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued the first response in Grayscale Investments' suit over the rejection of the conversion of the GBTC trust into a spot bitcoin ETF. The regulator described the decision as 'well-founded and reasonably explained'. 'Earlier, the Commission approved ETFs based on CME futures contracts registered with the CFTC; accordingly, the underlying assets of these funds are subject to strict oversight. The spot bitcoin market, by contrast, is fragmented and unregulated. The applicant did not present compelling arguments in favor of the thesis that CME's oversight of futures trading would be sufficient to detect and deter fraud and manipulation in the spot market.'