The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved a new set of generic listing standards for commodity-based trust shares on Nasdaq, Cboe, and the New York Stock Exchange.
The move is expected to streamline the approval process for exchange-traded products (ETPs) tied to digital assets, according to Fox Business reporter Eleanor Terret.
However, she added that the Generic Listing Standards don’t open up every type of crypto ETP because threshold requirements remain in place, meaning not all products will immediately qualify.
To add context, she quoted Tushar Jain of Multicoin Capital, who noted that the standards don’t apply to every type of crypto ETP and that threshold requirements remain. He expects the SEC will iterate further on these standards.
The order, issued on Sept. 17, grants accelerated approval of proposed rule changes filed by the exchanges. By adopting the standards, the SEC aims to shorten the time it takes to bring new commodity-based ETPs to market, potentially clearing a path for broader crypto investment products.
The regulator has been delaying the decision on several altcoin ETFs, most of which are set to reach their final deadlines in October. The move was rumored to be the SEC’s way of expediting approvals for crypto ETFs.
The approval follows years of back-and-forth between the SEC and exchanges over how to handle crypto-based products, with past applications facing lengthy reviews.
The new process is expected to reduce delays and provide more clarity for issuers, though the SEC signaled it may revisit and refine the standards as the market evolves.
While the decision marks progress, experts emphasized that the so-called “floodgates” for crypto ETPs are not yet fully open. Future SEC actions will determine how broadly these standards can be applied across different digital asset products.