First blockchain ETFs are coming soon

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In a bid to give investors access to one of the revolutionary technologies in years, two companies have applied to create what would be the first exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to track the blockchain ecosystem.

Last week, Amplify Investments LLC filed plans with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to introduce the Amplify Blockchain Leaders ETF, while Reality Shares filed for the Nasdaq Blockchain Economy ETF.

Amplify’s actively-managed ETF wants to provide exposure to companies and securities involved in blockchain, the technology that powers Bitcoin. The Illinois-based company is known for its ETFs focused on online retail stocks and the YieldShares High Income ETF.

“We believe blockchain is a foundational technology that is still in its early stages, much like the internet in the mid-1980s,” said Christian Magoon, CEO of Amplify ETFs, in a statement. “The Blockchain Leaders ETF seeks to provide investors with convenient exposure to companies and applications actively involved in the growing blockchain ecosystem.”

San Diego-based Reality Shares’ ETF, on the other hand, is a passively managed vehicle whose goal is to seek “long-term growth by tracking the investment returns, before fees and expenses,” of the Reality Shares Nasdaq Blockchain Economy Index, which measures the returns of companies involved with blockchain technology.

“Blockchain technology may be used to support a vast array of business applications in many different industries and markets, and the extent of its versatility has not yet been fully explored. As a result, the Index may include equity securities of both operating and non-operating companies that focus on or have exposure to a wide variety of industries and countries, including emerging markets,” according to Reality Shares’ SEC application.

The SEC is known for actively rejecting exchange-traded funds applications that involve Bitcoin. Early this year, the commission junked Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss’s proposal to list their Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust, which was created to provide exposure for commodity buyers to the cryptocurrency on the Bats BTZ exchange.

ETFs with exposure to blockchain, however, may have more favorable results with the SEC.

Coinsilium CEO Eddy Travia was quoted by TheStreet that the proposals “can be used to highlight the winning strategies and identify the future stars of this competitive space and demonstrates the potential of the blockchain industry as a key investment sector.”