21Shares drops Ark from ETH ETF as remaining applicants meet SEC deadline

Six companies updated their spot Ethereum ETF S-1 registration statements on May 31, with 21 Shares notably dropping Ark Invest from its filing.

The relevant filing renames the “Ark 21Shares Ethereum ETF” to the “21Shares Core Ethereum ETF.” It also removes all mention of Ark Invest from its text, whereas previous submissions described Ark Invest as the fund’s subadvisor.

Ark Invest has not commented on the change.

Other amendment details

Bitwise, Fidelity, Invesco Galaxy, VanEck, and Franklin Templeton also filed amendments.

Franklin Templeton’s amendment includes a 0.19% sponsor fee, making it the first issuer to list a percentage-based sponsor fee.

Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas noted the absence of a “fee war” among applicants compared to the competitively reduced fees and temporary discounts offered for the spot Bitcoin ETFs before launch.

The amended filings affirm that companies involved in each fund will not engage in staking. The filings also initially prohibit in-kind creations and redemptions but acknowledge the possibility of such transactions depending on future regulatory approval.

Some filings newly state or restate initial seed sale proceeds. Many state ticker symbols for the first time.

Earlier amendments

The SEC’s approval of 19-b4 filings on May 23 has brought spot Ethereum ETFs closer to reality, with experts predicting a June-end launch.

BlackRock was the first to file an amendment to its iShares fund on May 29. It added several details, such as seed purchase amounts, additional partners, and flat sponsor fee maximums. Grayscale filed an amendment to its S-3 statement on May 30.

The latest amendments mean that all prospective spot ETH ETF issuers have satisfied the SEC’s end-of-month deadline. The regulator will now comment on the applications, which may require further amendments before the funds can finally launch.

Balchunas expects the process to take a few weeks, with the funds projected to launch by July 4 at the latest.

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