The SEC has commenced its formal evaluation of BlackRock’s request to include staking functionality in its proposed iShares Ethereum Trust. A Tuesday filing initiated a public comment period, a standard procedural step for such rule changes.
Nasdaq submitted the amendment earlier this month, mirroring efforts by 21Shares and Grayscale to incorporate staking into their crypto ETF offerings.
The SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance added complexity to the debate in May by stating that select staking arrangements may not involve securities—a position some viewed as a regulatory softening.
Notably, Rex Shares circumvented the approval backlog by launching a staked crypto ETF on July 2 under a different regulatory framework. The SEC’s prior approvals of spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs under the Biden administration explicitly excluded staking, despite their subsequent market success.
