Nasdaq Resubmits BlackRock Spot Bitcoin ETF Application, Appoints Coinbase as Monitoring Sharing Partner

The move echoes other applications filed by Cboe Global Markets on behalf of global asset manager Fidelity and ARK Investments, which also chose to list Coinbase as its SSA partner.

Nasdaq resubmitted BlackRock’s spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) filing on July 3 after the firm clarified that it intends to enter into a supervisory sharing agreement (SSA) with Coinbase, which will act as the SEC-required Spot bitcoin exchange.

The move echoes other applications filed by Cboe Global Markets on behalf of global asset managers Fidelity Investments and Ark Invest, which also chose to list Coinbase as its SSA partner.

The SEC returned the application, filed in June, for lack of clarity and comprehensiveness. The main concern is the lack of concrete clarification that spot bitcoin exchanges will be part of the ETF SSA.

Despite some concerns due to Coinbase's legal dispute with the SEC, the industry largely expected the exchange to choose Coinbase because of its size and market share. In its requirements, the regulator said that bitcoin spot exchanges must operate a “substantial market” to qualify.

With a number of recent spot bitcoin ETF applications being refiled with the SEC, the ball is now in the regulator's court, whose ruling the industry is eagerly awaiting.

The SEC has rejected similar applications for years, and sometime in 2022, most companies hope the regulator will change its stance in the near future. However, the entry of major traditional financial institutions has sparked renewed optimism.

Research firm Bernstein said on July 3 that it expects the ETF application to be approved based on the fact that it approves futures products.

Analysts believe that the arguments used to gain approval for futures products also apply to spot bitcoin products and should be enough to win regulatory approval.