By now, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) review (and rejection) of bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETF) has become almost like a seasonal tradition in the crypto world.
Crypto market watchers are excited by the potential approval of a bitcoin ETF because a green light from the SEC is viewed by many as a clear signal that the long-awaited wave of institutional money would begin entering the crypto markets.
So far, most of the $220 billion crypto market value (as of this writing) has come from retail investors, or individuals investing in any of the thousands of crypto projects that now exist.
Traditional institutional money, which includes large pools of money managed by banks, investment firms, and other fund managers, is orders of magnitude greater than the current crypto markets.
So, the thinking goes, the introduction of institutional money to the crypto space will not only drive up prices of individual assets, but the increased liquidity could also help smooth out some of the major crypto market swings.
SEC and a bitcoin ETF
Earlier this week the SEC announced that it was rejecting the proposals put forth by a handful of investment managers.
The SEC claimed that the bitcoin ETF proposals have still not adequately addressed the regulators concerns about market manipulation, particularly since cryptocurrencies are traded on hundreds of exchanges around the world.
While the news didn’t really come as a surprise to most crypto market watchers, what was an unexpected move was the SEC’s announcement a day later that it was going to review its decision to reject the bitcoin ETFs.
The timeline for a reviewed decision is still unclear.
Institutional money on the way
In a recent video, Abra CEO Bill Barhydt explains that while the SEC continues to study the regulatory implication of bitcoin ETFs, there are other indications that institutional investors are gearing up to enter the crypto market in the next 12 months.
Currently, one of the main barriers to entry for institutional money is a good custody solution, or how to securely obtain and store millions of dollars of investments. Large investment firms are unlikely to want to outsource custody, especially since the market is still young and immature.
Instead, many firms are developing their own custody solutions or at least investigating all of their options. Once crypto custody gets solved for larger scale fund managers, then there will likely be a lot of institutional money looking to invest in cryptocurrency projects.
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About Abra
Established in 2014, Abra is on a mission to create a simple and honest platform that enables millions of cryptocurrency holders to maximize the potential of their assets. Abra enables both individuals and businesses to safely and securely buy, trade, and borrow against cryptocurrencies – all in one place. Abra’s vision is an open, global financial system that is easily accessible to everyone.
Why Abra
Based in the United States, Abra is available in over 150 countries and makes it easy to convert between crypto and a wide variety of local fiat currencies. With over 2MM customers, $7B in transactions processed, and $1.5B in assets under management, Abra continues to grow rapidly. Abra is widely loved and trusted – in April 2022, pymnts.com reviewed and rated Abra amongst the top 5 most popular crypto wallets in the market. Abra is backed by top-tier investors such as American Express Ventures and First Round Capital.
How Abra Protects Your Funds
Abra places clients’ financial objectives and security first. Abra practices a culture of risk management across all levels and functions within the organization.
Abra employs a state-of-the-art enterprise risk management framework that comprises a comprehensive set of policies, procedures, and practices detailing all applicable risk-related objectives and constraints for the entirety of the business. Abra has instituted a complete set of requisite systems and controls that continuously enforce these policies, procedures, and practices to manage all operations, including credit and lending. Abra’s independent Risk Committee comprises experienced compliance, risk, securities, and fraud operations professionals with backgrounds in industries ranging from traditional and digital assets banking, payments, remittance, to fintech.
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