TL;DR
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Bitwise has become the first asset manager to reveal its wallet addresses of spot Bitcoin ETF holdings.
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The firm has pledged public transparency for its spot Bitcoin ETF.
Bitwise’s Spot Bitcoin ETF Holdings Now Public Knowledge
Asset management firm Bitwise revealed the Bitcoin addresses of its spot BTC exchange-traded fund (ETF) on Wednesday. This latest development makes it the first asset manager to publicly release its Bitcoin holdings address.
In an X post on Wednesday, the first said anyone can verify holdings for its Bitwise Bitcoin ETF, which trades as BITB on the New York Stock Exchange Arca. Currently, the address holds 11,858.63 BTC, worth roughly $465 million.
Announcement: Today the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB) becomes the first U.S. bitcoin ETF to publish the bitcoin addresses of its holdings.
— Bitwise (@BitwiseInvest) January 24, 2024
Now anyone can verify BITB's holdings and flows directly on the blockchain.
Onchain transparency is core to Bitcoin's ethos. We're proud to… pic.twitter.com/1JTUh3zvDE
Bitwise said it made this known to increase public transparency. This latest development comes two weeks after the US SEC approved 11 spot Bitcoin ETF applications, including Bitwise’s BITB. At the moment, it remains uncertain if the other 10 managers will release BTC addresses for their investment vehicles in the future.
In an X post, Bitwise co-founder and CEO Hunter Horsley said the firm released its addresses following multiple requests from investors.
This was clear feedback. Done: https://t.co/a6QJmQ2sQW
— Hunter Horsley (@HHorsley) January 24, 2024
Bitcoin has been struggling since the spot Bitcoin ETFs were approved two weeks ago. BTC’s price is down by 20% over the last 24 hours and briefly touched the $38,500 level earlier this week.