GlobeNewswire Inc | Oct 19, 2021 09:00AM EDT

October 19, 2021

New York, Oct. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grayscale Investments, the worlds largest digital currency asset manager, announced today that NYSE Arca has filed Form 19b-4 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to convert Grayscales flagship product, Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (OTCQX: GBTC), into a Bitcoin Spot ETF. The move comes on the heels of the SECs clearance of a Bitcoin Futures ETF.

Since 2013, the Grayscale team has worked tirelessly to build the worlds largest, most transparent Bitcoin investment vehicle, GBTC, while partnering with policymakers and regulators to build familiarity and trust in Bitcoin, blockchain, and the underlying Bitcoin market, explained Michael Sonnenshein, CEO of Grayscale Investments. In becoming the first crypto SEC reporting investment vehicle, GBTC has helped move the entire digital currency ecosystem forward. As we file to convert GBTC into an ETF, the natural next step in the products evolution, we recognize this as an important moment for our investors, our industry partners, and all those who realize the potential of digital currencies to transform our future.

Grayscale has publicly committed the firms intent to convert GBTC as well as its other 14 investment products into ETFs. Grayscale Bitcoin Trust launched in 2013, received a public quotation in May 2015, and became an SEC reporting company in January 2020. Today, the Trust is the largest Bitcoin investment vehicle in the world, holding approximately 3.44% of all Bitcoin in circulation.

At Grayscale, we believe that if regulators are comfortable with ETFs that hold futures of a given asset, they should also be comfortable with ETFs that offer exposure to the spot price of that same asset, said Dave LaValle, Global Head of ETFs at Grayscale Investments. GBTC proves that theres strong investor demand for physically-backed Bitcoin investment vehicles. We are proud to partner with NYSE Arca to submit todays filing, folding Bitcoin into the familiar protections of an ETF wrapper, and ultimately providing investors with a choice in how they want to allocate their Bitcoin exposure.

Today, GBTCs assets under management amount to nearly $40B, representing investment from individuals and institutions across all 50 states. You can view a link to NYSE Arcas 19b-4 filing here.

About Grayscale InvestmentsFounded in 2013, Grayscale Investments is the worlds largest digital currency asset manager, with more than $53B in assets under management as of October 18, 2021. Through its family of investment products, Grayscale provides access and exposure to the digital currency asset class in the form of a security without the challenges of buying, storing, and safekeeping digital currencies directly. With a proven track record and unrivaled experience, Grayscales products operate within existing regulatory frameworks, creating secure and compliant exposure for investors. Grayscale products are distributed by Genesis Global Trading, Inc. (Member FINRA/SIPC, MSRB Registered). For more information, please visit grayscale.com and follow @Grayscale.

Jennifer Rosenthalpress@grayscale.com