Switzerland's financial regulator has approved the country's first Bitcoin ETF

[The Cryptovator]

Recently I have noticed from my newsfeed that Swiss authorities approved country’s first Bitcoin EFT for retail investors. Although Bitcoin ETFs aren't very interesting to me since we can't even buy real Bitcoin, ETFs make it easier to invest in Bitcoin for institutional investors and also for those who don’t want to handle crypto directly for various reasons, like handling wallets or security reasons.

But it’s good to see more countries become interested in Bitcoin ETFs, which means more people could access Bitcoin as well. Hope that’s how more people will start trusting Bitcoin. Those who aren’t well familiar with Bitcoin, once a day, might start purchasing real Bitcoin as well.

I wish more countries would follow Switzerland and the US Bitcoin ETF. So their citizens could access Bitcoin easily and take advantage of Bitcoin investment. Do you think more countries will follow this trend? Do you believe ETFs could help Bitcoin growth in long terms or its depends on the spot Bitcoin investment?

[Karl_3000]

I wish more countries would follow Switzerland and the US Bitcoin ETF. So their citizens could access Bitcoin easily and take advantage of Bitcoin investment.

Canada is the first country that first approved bitcoin ETF, the country approved it in 2021 which is 3 years ago before US approved it.

Other countries like Australia and Brazil also have bitcoin ETF.

Hong Kong also have it.

Do you think more countries will follow this trend? Do you believe ETFs could help Bitcoin growth in long terms or its depends on the spot Bitcoin investment?

Yes because more countries are having bitcoin spot ETF since United States approved it.

[348Judah]

Although Bitcoin ETFs aren't very interesting to me since we can't even buy real Bitcoin, ETFs make it easier to invest in Bitcoin for institutional investors and also for those who don’t want to handle crypto directly for various reasons, like handling wallets or security reasons.

Ironically, this is what it means, the financial advisories are providing us with their bonds and shares to be invested upon, while they are using our fund to invest in Bitcoin by themselves, is smart person will know that bitcoin ETF is not the way forward, instead they will rather go for Bitcoin and invest it to get more profit than the one they could get from a share.

But it’s good to see more countries become interested in Bitcoin ETFs, which means more people could access Bitcoin as well.?

United States of America is one of the eye opener even though they are not the force to approve the spot bitcoin ETF by the SEC, but many countries seeing them into this also be moved to take a similar step of the approval of Bitcoin sport ETF.

[asriloni]

Do you think more countries will follow this trend? Do you believe ETFs could help Bitcoin growth in long terms or its depends on the spot Bitcoin investment?

IMO, all of countries will follow this initiative once bitcoin becomes more and more globalized. No countries will ignore the trend bitcoin if we have all of countries adopt it. However, we have a potential market that may not follow this and it's EU. ETF disallowed there due to their UCITS regulation. So can we put EU on exception to allow ETF there?

[ObeyKnock]

Do you think more countries will follow this trend? Do you believe ETFs could help Bitcoin growth in long terms or its depends on the spot Bitcoin investment?

FINMA, Swiss financial regulator, has also given the product a legal pass from the requirement for funds to be spread across different assets, pointing to bitcoin long history and large trading volume. Mainly, the pass is only for bitcoin and it cannot be applied to crypto products in general.

While this is not the first bitcoin ETP listed in Europe as Swiss investors could already invest in bitcoin ETPs listed on SIX, this is the first to be built as a real fund under Swiss fund law (FINMA labels the fund as “other fund for alternative investments”). Means bitcoin is not held on the company main account (as it is with the earlier mentioned ETPs, which are actually debt securities), but is held separately from the company.

That said, I would argue product newness has less to do with being listed in multiple countries and more to do with FINMA approval. That is, this is the first regulatory group to treat a bitcoin only fund as a standard investment product. This could serve as an example for other regulators, who could copy FINMA decision without needing to write new laws.

https://www.theblock.co/news/regulation/2026-10-20-swiss-regulator-finma-approves-countrys-first-spot-bitcoin-etf-for-retail-investors-421127

[Zoomic]

Governments of the world aren't living in denial about Bitcoin again, they've seen that the widespread adoption of Bitcoin has taken a new shape so it's either they become part of it and enjoy the benefits or regret later so I'm not surprised that Switzerland's regulators have approved the country's first Bitcoin ETF.

We'll definitely see more countries exploring Bitcoin ETFs as demand continues to grow. That said, I wouldn't measure Bitcoin's long-term growth by the number of countries approving ETFs alone.

Yes, more ETFs means more liquidity into market but let's not also forget that through ETFs, investors depend on intermediaries instead of direct ownership. Bitcoin's primary objective according to Satoshi is to give people the option of holding and controlling their own money without needing permission from a financial institution. While ETFs and independent ownerships of Bitcoin can coexist, I believe they serve different purposes.

[Questat]

Yes, more ETFs means more liquidity into market but let's not also forget that through ETFs, investors depend on intermediaries instead of direct ownership. Bitcoin's primary objective according to Satoshi is to give people the option of holding and controlling their own money without needing permission from a financial institution. While ETFs and independent ownerships of Bitcoin can coexist, I believe they serve different purposes.

However, our goal here is to attract bitcoin global adoption so having ETFs is already a good proof that bitcoin is making progress. Although the set up can be contradicting to Satoshi's point of view about having bitcoin as your own bank, and to gain direct ownership and full custody, still ETFs growing nowadays in different countries is a good sign that bitcoin is well acknowledged and global adoption is certainly working in progress.

In the end, that's up to the individual bitcoin investors how to deal with their bitcoin, either buying through ETF or stick with direct ownership with bitcoin.

[coinlary]

Do you think more countries will follow this trend?

Yes, obviously they will follow, it's  just a matter of time before we have more joining the already existing ETFs .

Do  you believe ETFs could help Bitcoin growth in long terms or its depends on the spot Bitcoin investment?

Again, yes it will help Bitcoin growth but only when it comes to the value and at the cost of eliminating self-custody by acting as a custodian. Which means more people won't get to use Bitcoin for any peer to peer transaction, the main reason it was designed for. Instead, they'll only get to use it as an  investment, withdraw profits or optout in loss.

Government can also control ETFs , unlike the real Bitcoin which they can't directly control.

[Luzin]

First, I am happy to see this good news. The reason is clear: the more government institutions start to trust Bitcoin, the greater the public's trust will be. This way, the industry will grow even more, and hopefully, the value of Bitcoin will increase.
Second, I highlight Satoshi's vision. In relation to Satoshi's ideals, this industry is far from what he hoped for. Bitcoin is mostly used as a store of value and a commodity rather than as a means of payment. Although I think this news is very good for the development of Bitcoin. 

IMO

[Dr.Bitcoin_Strange]

But it’s good to see more countries become interested in Bitcoin ETFs, which means more people could access Bitcoin as well. Hope that’s how more people will start trusting Bitcoin. Those who aren’t well familiar with Bitcoin, once a day, might start purchasing real Bitcoin as well.

I wish more countries would follow Switzerland and the US Bitcoin ETF. So their citizens could access Bitcoin easily and take advantage of Bitcoin investment. Do you think more countries will follow this trend? Do you believe ETFs could help Bitcoin growth in long terms or its depends on the spot Bitcoin investment?

I am not interested in Bitcoin EFT but the only thing that wants to make me see reason for it is the fact that there are some individuals who might want to invest in bitcoin but are scared of self custody because they don't think they can handle their security properly and protect themselves against scammers. So, if Bitcoin ETF is what they consider a safe channel for them to invest in bitcoin price (not owning a bitcoin but just ETF share), then it still would contribute to bitcoin adoption.

Based on my research, there are about 10 countrys where Bitcoin spot ETFs is available and based on how things like this works, there's no doubt that more country will also follow suit, perhaps they know it's going to fetch them more revenue.

The growth of bitcoin is based on adoption, yes, Bitcoin ETFs will also help in bitcoin growth since some investors are going to be putting their money into bitcoin even tho they are not the one holding the bitcoin.

[mirakal]

First, I am happy to see this good news. The reason is clear: the more government institutions start to trust Bitcoin, the greater the public's trust will be. This way, the industry will grow even more, and hopefully, the value of Bitcoin will increase.
Second, I highlight Satoshi's vision. In relation to Satoshi's ideals, this industry is far from what he hoped for. Bitcoin is mostly used as a store of value and a commodity rather than as a means of payment. Although I think this news is very good for the development of Bitcoin. 

IMO

No doubt this is great news for bitcoin, and another positive means to make more people aware and get attracted to invest into bitcoin. More ETFs means more access for aspiring bitcoin buyers and holders, so this is really something that will pave way for a faster global adoption.

But this is not Satoshi wanted us for bitcoin. He created bitcoin so we can get rid of centralized platforms or centralized financial product. He introduced bitcoin so we can use it for payment purposes. But in the end, this is our bitcoin, so we are free to set our own rules where we can find it more comfortable and profitable as well, even if it won't meet Satoshi's expectation.

[Spaceman1000$]

Switzerland that I know of has been a country that have had financial investors and people that have decided to keep their money there as safe heaven for a very long time, they've always had financial activities at a high scale from time immemorial, for such a country to begin now to start  their first Bitcoin ETF, comes a bit late, however it is a welcome development, in our local Parlance they said, "whenever you wake up is your morning".
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‎But there are grey areas I would like to look at, from the article it is said that, the regulator are still looking at the various companies that have applied for approval, this is a part of the idea of the authorities thinking they can still control the market or supposedly used some proxy means to influence the market, besides as an investor, why should I go for the ETF, instead of just going for BTC at once, at least i have full autonomy of my coin.

[Lucius]

~snip~
But it’s good to see more countries become interested in Bitcoin ETFs, which means more people could access Bitcoin as well. Hope that’s how more people will start trusting Bitcoin. Those who aren’t well familiar with Bitcoin, once a day, might start purchasing real Bitcoin as well.

Spot BTC ETFs can be somewhat good for the price because at some point they can accumulate significant amounts of BTC, which is especially evident in the US - but not so much elsewhere in the world. I don't know how this way of investing in BTC will be accepted in Switzerland, but I don't think that this is generally positive for some kind of trust in Bitcoin, because people who invest in this way don't want anything other than profit.

All those who are waiting for banks and funds to give them the green light to invest in Bitcoin are very far from ever using and owning Bitcoin in the only right way.

[Hatchy]

I wish more countries would follow Switzerland and the US Bitcoin ETF. So their citizens could access Bitcoin easily and take advantage of Bitcoin investment. Do you think more countries will follow this trend? Do you believe ETFs could help Bitcoin growth in long terms or its depends on the spot Bitcoin investment?

Bitcoin ETFs are another way for governments and financial institutions to gain more control over Bitcoin. Yes, they may increase Bitcoin adoption to some extent. When more countries approve Bitcoin ETFs, others that have been holding back may eventually follow the same path. But, I don't think this is the way forward for Bitcoin. The more people rely on ETFs, the more Bitcoin ownership becomes concentrated in the hands of centralized institutions. People are investing money to gain exposure to Bitcoin's price, but they don't actually own or control the Bitcoin themselves. In a way, they are buying shares in a fund rather than owning Bitcoin directly.

It is still important for people to understand the true meaning of decentralization, including the importance of self-custody and learning how to be their own banks. ETFs take away the need for investors to manage their own Bitcoin, but they also take away some of the financial independence that Bitcoin was created to offer. Increasing Bitcoin investment doesn't necessarily mean we are strengthening Bitcoin itself or the principles it stands for.

[The Cryptovator]

I wish more countries would follow Switzerland and the US Bitcoin ETF. So their citizens could access Bitcoin easily and take advantage of Bitcoin investment.

Canada is the first country that first approved bitcoin ETF, the country approved it in 2021 which is 3 years ago before US approved it.

Other countries like Australia and Brazil also have bitcoin ETF.

Hong Kong also have it.

I think you got it wrong. I or the news hadn’t said it's the first country that approved Bitcoin ETF. It's the country’s first for Switzerland; that means it's the first time in Switzerland authorities approved Bitcoin EFT. I am aware which country approved the first ETF, and the most popular country for ETFs is the USA.

However, we want more countries that will allow Bitcoin to trade and at the same time officially approve Bitcoin ETFs. I can’t wait to see my country in the near future. My government even struggles to keep a stable banking system, so it would be a luxury dream to expect a Bitcoin ETF here. Don’t know how many years need to realize what Bitcoin is to explain central banks and governments.

[Fiatless]

I wish more countries would follow Switzerland and the US Bitcoin ETF. So their citizens could access Bitcoin easily and take advantage of Bitcoin investment. Do you think more countries will follow this trend? Do you believe ETFs could help Bitcoin growth in long terms or its depends on the spot Bitcoin investment?

The US is a pacesetter for many countries. Nations easily copy the policies of the US and, in some cases, localise them to suit their environment. Since the US ETF industry is blossoming, I expect countries that look up to the US to also adopt ETFs.

These ETF providers spend so much on advertisements. Companies like BlackRock (IBIT) and Bitwise (BITB) are promoting their services in different ways, and it's not cheap. This promotion can increase Bitcoin awareness. But adoption would be wrongly communicated since prospective investors would buy shares instead of the real Bitcoin.

[Mahiyammahi]

I envy those who adopt Bitcoin; I want to keep Bitcoin to myself only lol. The more Bitcoin acceptance, the more its price will increase eventually.
Institutional adoption is a positive side for bitcoin but the real growth will start when people willl eventually start using bitcoin in real life. Etf can be a way to push the bitcoin but I think self custody is the main thing when considering it's growth.  

[SilverCryptoBullet]

Recently I have noticed from my newsfeed that Swiss authorities approved country’s first Bitcoin EFT for retail investors.

I wish more countries would follow Switzerland and the US Bitcoin ETF. So their citizens could access Bitcoin easily and take advantage of Bitcoin investment. Do you think more countries will follow this trend? Do you believe ETFs could help Bitcoin growth in long terms or its depends on the spot Bitcoin investment?

The snowball about 2 years ago with Spot ETF approvals in the USA.

The first Bitcoin Spot ETF application was applied in 2013.
Bitcoin full history in timeline.

The approvals in the USA in January 2024 made snowball effects bigger because USA is a very big economic nation and effects from Bitcoin Spot ETFs here are big too.

Although Bitcoin ETFs aren't very interesting to me since we can't even buy real Bitcoin, ETFs make it easier to invest in Bitcoin for institutional investors and also for those who don’t want to handle crypto directly for various reasons, like handling wallets or security reasons.

I am not interested in it because I understand importance of Bitcoin private keys which are the only things give me my bitcoin bank. I am optimistic about Bitcoin Spot ETFs and its contributions to bring more capital to Bitcoin market because there are actual demand from institutional investors.

[Mrbluntzy]

Institutional adoption is a positive side for bitcoin but the real growth will start when people willl eventually start using bitcoin in real life. Etf can be a way to push the bitcoin but I think self custody is the main thing when considering it's growth.  

The growth that we have witnessed on bitcoin so far, is it not a real one and have people not started using bitcoin in this real life yet? If you mean when bitcoin have finally becomes a legal tender worldwide, I don't think that would even happen, the government wouldn't want to completely adopt what they can not be able to print more as they like to do with paper money and they also do not want something as transparent as bitcoin. The government wants transparency from citizens but won't want that for themselves to the citizens. Bitcoin is still being used by some Bitcoinist for their transaction and it all contribute to Bitcoin growth.

[Faisal2202]

The pitch they are using is making sense now haha, as it includes "no seed phrase," meaning you invest via an ETF and you don't have to worry about another incident like Coldcard. Switzerland played its card at the right time, although they already allowed ways for their people to get exposure to Bitcoin since 2019 by allowing them to invest in ETPs. They were collateralized debt securities, which technically is the same thing as this, but regulations will be different for both, like insolvency issues or custody.

But it's a step toward adoption. More money will be used to buy Bitcoin. If these people won't hold real Bitcoin, then at least the companies will hold it for them, and demand can increase for BTC. I am happy haha.