Nasdaq ISE, LLC withdraws proposals to list and trade options on spot Ethereum and Bitcoin products

Quick Take

  • The exchange withdrew both of those proposals for options trading for Bitcoin and Ethereum products, according to filings on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s website.
  • Other exchanges have also withdrawn similar proposals over the last week, but Bloomberg Intelligence Analyst James Seyffart said he expected some to refile. 

Exchange Nasdaq ISE, LLC filed two notices on Thursday to withdraw proposals to list and trade options on both spot Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded funds.

The exchange withdrew both of those proposals on Tuesday, according to filings on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's website. 

"The Proposal was published for comment in the Federal Register on August 12, 2024," the filing read for the Bitcoin ETF proposal. "The Commission received no comments addressing the Proposal. On August 13, 2024, the Exchange withdrew the Proposal." 

Nasdaq did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Other exchanges have also withdrawn similar proposals over the last week. MIAX, MIAX Pearl and BOX Exchange withdrew proposals for listing and trading options on spot Bitcoin ETFs. Cboe also withdrew its application to list options on spot Bitcoin ETFs last week but then re-filed it, which could signal that the SEC is potentially engaging in the process. The regulator has not approved trading for options products for spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs. 

Also on Thursday, NYSE American LLC withdrew its proposal to list and trade options on the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF and the Grayscale Bitcoin ETF. 

Bloomberg Intelligence Analyst James Seyffart said he expected both Nasdaq and NYSE to refile their proposals in the near future for listing and trading options on spot bitcoin ETFs. 

"NASDAQ & NYSE have joined CBOE in withdrawing their applications for allowing options to trade on the Bitcoin ETFs,' Seyffart said in a post on X on Thursday. "I'm expecting them to re-file over the coming days or weeks like we saw from CBOE."

Nasdaq still has proposals pending for listing and trading options for BlackRock's spot Ethereum ETF and spot bitcoin ETF. 

Update: Aug. 16, 4 p.m. UTC to include detail about other proposals


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Sarah is a reporter at The Block covering policy, regulation and legal happenings. Before, Sarah was a reporter with CQ Legal writing about securities regulation, which is where she first started reporting on crypto. Sarah has also written for The Bond Buyer and American Banker, among other finance-related publications. She graduated from the University of Missouri and earned a degree in print and digital journalism. Sarah is based in Washington D.C., and is an avid coffee lover. You can follow her on Twitter @ForTheWynn.

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