Thursday was a momentous day in crypto as the first SEC-approved spot Bitcoin ETFs finally began trading after more than a decade of waiting, and by almost all accounts, it was a huge success, with more than $625 million in inflows on the first day of trading. 

Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan and VanEck head of digital assets research Matthew Sigel joined Unchained to discuss their approaches towards selling their products in the market, the challenges of competing with larger firms like BlackRock and Fidelity, the fee wars and where those are headed, the importance of specialist expertise in the crypto investment space, and how Bitcoin prices might react to all the new supply in the market. 

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Fountain, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Show highlights:

• Why Matt Hougan regards the first week as a massive success for Bitcoin
• How Matthew Sigel emphasizes the costs and benefits ETFs offer to retail investors
• The strategic marketing approaches of VanEck and Bitwise aligning with Bitcoin community values
• The reasons for Bitwise's standout performance in the first days of trading, according to Matt
• Whether the introduction of Bitcoin ETFs will reshape the broader ETF landscape
• Matt's perspective on why some financial institutions resist Bitcoin, and their eventual openness to crypto
• Whether the established players in finance feel threatened by the rise of open source technologies
• Whether Gary Gensler’s statement after the approval is “totally crazy”
• Why data for the various ETFs in the market should be analyzed on a weekly or monthly basis
• The ongoing fee competition and how smaller entities can compete against giants like BlackRock and Fidelity
• Grayscale's strategies to remain competitive with higher fees and the possibility of launching a new, low-fee ETF
• How investment advisors might adapt to these new crypto products and the potential for mainstream adoption
• Matthew’s predictions for when BTC investors, both short-term and long-term, will take profits
• Why they are both closely monitoring Ethereum's performance and the prospects for a spot ether ETF in the market

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Guests:

• Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise Asset Management
• Previous appearances on Unchained: Why a Spot Bitcoin ETF Will Probably Launch No Later Than January 10
• Matthew Sigel, Head of Digital Assets Research at VanEck.

Links

• Previous coverage of Unchained on spot Bitcoin ETFs:
• Why Some Brokerage Firms Are Blocking Access to Spot Bitcoin ETFs
• Why Spot Bitcoin ETFs Are Likely to Finally Start Trading on Thursday 
• Why the SEC May Want Cash Creation of Spot Bitcoin ETFs
• Why It Looks Like BlackRock Could Win America’s First Spot Bitcoin ETF
• Will a Spot Bitcoin ETF Finally Get Approved?
• The 4 Factors That Will Determine Which Spot Bitcoin ETFs Win Market Share
• How Much Money Will Flow Into Bitcoin ETFs? Here’s One Projection

Approval:

• Unchained: 
• Spot Bitcoin ETFs Finally Receive SEC Seal of Approval
• What Officials, ETF Issuers, and Others Are Saying About the SEC's Spot Bitcoin ETF Approvals
• Laura Shin’s op-ed on Unchained: Why Spot Bitcoin ETFs Are (But Mostly Aren't) a Big Deal for Crypto
• David Z. Morris’ op-ed on Unchained: The SEC’s Bumbling Bitcoin ETF Rollout Was Perfectly On-Brand

First days of trading

• Unchained: 
• Spot Bitcoin ETFs Record $4.6 Billion First Day Trading Volume
• Spot Bitcoin ETF Inflows Topped $625 Million on First Day in ‘Phenomenal’ Debut, Led by Bitwise
• Vanguard Isn’t Allowing Customers to Buy Spot Bitcoin ETFs

Visit Unchained for more links and details

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