• Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) secures a pivotal victory over the U.S. SEC.
• The decision fuels a 5% rise in Bitcoin’s price to over $27,500 in minutes and holds potential implications for institutional crypto investments.

Crypto asset manager Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) has emerged victorious in its legal battle against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), marking a significant stride towards converting its GBTC application into a listed Bitcoin ETF. The verdict, handed down by U.S. Court of Appeals Circuit Judge Neomi Rao on August 29, grants Grayscale’s petition for review, effectively overturning the SEC’s previous denial of the GBTC listing application. This ruling holds paramount importance in the ongoing saga of spot Bitcoin Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) approval.

The litigation, which commenced in October 2022, has drawn substantial attention within the crypto community and beyond. Grayscale’s persuasive efforts, underscored by a compelling open letter to the SEC, argued for the equitable treatment of GBTC investors in the realm of spot BTC ETFs. The victory could herald the transformation of Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust into a spot BTC ETF, ushering in a new era for institutional investors seeking exposure to the crypto market.

Nevertheless, the SEC retains a 45-day window to contest the verdict, potentially escalating the case to the Supreme Court or an en banc panel review. The crypto markets have reacted with palpable enthusiasm, propelling Bitcoin’s price to a 5% surge, settling at $27,573 at press time.

Grayscale’s legal triumph adds fuel to the ongoing debates surrounding cryptocurrency regulations and institutional involvement, promising substantial ramifications for the future of digital asset investment.