Asset administration big BlackRock has launched its first bitcoin product in Europe: a bodily backed bitcoin exchange-traded product (ETP).
The iShares Bitcoin ETP began buying and selling Tuesday on Germany’s Xetra trade and Euronext exchanges in Paris and Amsterdam. The ETP will commerce below the ticker IB1T on Xetra and Euronext Paris and as BTCN on Euronext Amsterdam.
The brand new product comes after BlackRock debuted a bitcoin ETF within the U.S. final yr. The U.S. ETF, iShares Bitcoin Belief (IBIT), has attracted over $50 billion in belongings and has change into the biggest spot bitcoin ETF globally. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has voiced scepticism of bitcoin however seems to have warmed as much as bitcoin amid shopper demand.
By launching a European bitcoin ETP, BlackRock is giving institutional buyers within the area publicity to bitcoin’s value efficiency in a well-known and controlled wrapper. Crypto ETPs have existed in Europe for years however lag U.S. bitcoin ETFs in belongings.
BlackRock’s bitcoin ETP carries a administration payment of 0.25%, lowered to 0.15% via a brief payment waiver till year-end 2025. The ETP makes use of Coinbase for custody.
As the biggest asset supervisor globally with over $10 trillion below administration, BlackRock brings important scale and distribution energy. The transfer indicators rising mainstream embrace of bitcoin as an rising institutional asset class.