The dominance of Bitcoin and Ethereum in the ETF market may soon face competition.
Analysts suggest that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is preparing the ground for a broader wave of approvals, opening the door for altcoin-based exchange-traded funds.
Bloomberg’s James Seyffart noted that several assets already meet the criteria for listing, including Chainlink (LINK), Stellar (XLM), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Avalanche (AVAX), Litecoin (LTC), and Polkadot (DOT). Highly traded names such as Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), Ripple’s XRP, Dogecoin (DOGE), and Shiba Inu (SHIB) are also seen as strong contenders, thanks to their liquidity and established derivatives markets.
Bitcoin and Ethereum will likely remain the anchors of the ETF landscape, but Ethereum’s own rollout highlights challenges ahead. Its ETFs, launched in mid-2024, attracted weaker inflows than expected. Advisers were still adjusting to Bitcoin ETFs, while the absence of staking features left Ethereum funds looking incomplete. Many expect investor demand to grow once staking becomes integrated into ETF structures.
Looking forward, the first altcoin ETFs will likely center on familiar names such as Solana, XRP, and Cardano, followed by diversified basket products that include a wider range of assets. While demand won’t be equal across the board, approval would mark a turning point – cementing altcoins as part of Wall Street’s financial toolkit.
The question has shifted from if altcoin ETFs will arrive to which tokens will lead the charge.
