Tech

Bitwise launches Web3 ETF for institutional and retail investors

10/05/2022
Bitcoin Ethereum News

Bitwise Asset Management announced on Oct. 3 a new exchange-traded fund (ETF) to both institutional and retail investors, giving them access to companies “positioned to benefit” from Web3 growth. 

Bitwise, in a statement, said it marks “the next wave of the internet’s development characterized by greater decentralization and individual ownership of data.”

Traded under the ticker BWEB, the ETF tracks the Bitwise Web3 Equities Index, with over 85% exposure to companies directly linked to Web3 business activities. This includes Web3 infrastructure, finance, Web3-enabled metaverse and digital worlds, development and governance and the Web3-enabled creator economy.

Hunter Horsley, Bitwise’s CEO, said:

“The Bitwise Web3 ETF seeks to capitalize on this great opportunity by offering investors of innovation a straightforward way to access the space. It also leverages our expertise in crypto — the cornerstone of Web3 — as many of these companies are centering their businesses on blockchain technology. We’re looking forward to seeing their anticipated continued growth as the space unfolds.” 

Last October, the company filed its second application with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission to create a spot Bitcoin ETF. After delays by the regulator, the final decision is expected this month. The first proposal was sent in January 2019 and rejected by the SEC in October of the same year. 

Web3 is considered to be the future version of the internet. Based on public blockchains, it is decentralized, meaning that individuals, themselves, own and govern sections of the internet rather than accessing the internet via services mediated by companies like Google, Apple or Facebook.