Shortly after the introduction of BlackRock’s bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF), CEO Larry Fink has initiated efforts to promote a second ETF featuring Ethereum as the underlying cryptocurrency. Fink underscores the significant value of Ethereum’s blockchain, emphasizing its transformative utility.
In the realm of Wall Street, promoting more crypto ETFs seems like an obvious choice to fuel the financial machinery, especially given the attention garnered by the bitcoin product. This involves thousands of salespeople conducting meetings, showcasing a new product, explaining its functionality, and gauging interest among potential buyers.
However, marketing an ether (ETH) ETF presents a unique challenge for issuers. Investors who have recently purchased a bitcoin ETF may already satisfy the practical need to diversify their portfolios. The question arises: why would they require another crypto diversification tool?
Sui Chung, CEO of CF Benchmarks, an index provider and a partner firm on the BlackRock iShares bitcoin ETF (IBIT), has contemplated this conundrum. Chung, who recently published a cheat sheet outlining the benefits of a bitcoin-backed security, believes that defining bitcoin’s technology and its potential financial applications is secondary to its role in an investment portfolio. According to Chung, adding a small allocation of bitcoin enhances portfolio diversification and significantly improves the overall risk-adjusted return.
Chung finds it intriguing how mainstream financial institutions like BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, or Fidelity would market an ETH ETF to traditional finance (TradFi) investors. As Chung points out, investors have already ventured into diversification by adding bitcoin to their portfolios, typically allocating around 1.5% to 2%.
BlackRock’s Fink has delved into Ethereum’s complex world by mentioning tokenization, a concept widely discussed in TradFi. However, Chung suggests that an educational effort should delve into explaining smart contracts, decentralized finance (DeFi), and even the intricacies of blockchain staking, along with the SEC’s stance on these matters.
While Ethereum’s move to a greener validator model distinguishes it from Bitcoin’s energy-sapping proof-of-work system, Chung doesn’t believe that marketing will heavily focus on the ESG (environmental, social, and governance) aspects. Given the controversies surrounding ESG investing, he suggests caution in delving into that realm.
