BlackRock to Launch Bitcoin ETP in Europe Targeting Currency Debasement Hedge

Managing over $4.4 trillion in ETFs globally, the world's largest asset manager has already amassed $58 billion in assets through its US Bitcoin ETF.

World's largest asset manager BlackRock is set to introduce an exchange-traded product (ETP) linked to Bitcoin in Europe.

According to a report by Financial News on Friday, the asset manager will launch the product this month through its BlackRock Commodities Fund. The new fund will be domiciled in Switzerland.

The move comes after BlackRock launched its iShares Bitcoin ETF in the US last month. The ETF, which began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on April 2023, quickly became the largest Bitcoin ETF in the US, amassing over $58 billion in assets.

Despite being a latecomer to the digital asset scene, BlackRock has shown increasing interest in cryptocurrencies. At the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, CEO Larry Fink discussed the potential of Bitcoin as a hedge against currency debasement, highlighting its appeal as an alternative store of value.

There are currently over 160 products in Europe that track the price of Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies. However, the total value of these products, at $17.3 billion, is a fraction of the US, where Bitcoin ETFs are valued at $116.4 billion.

BlackRock has been expanding its products beyond US borders. Last month, the asset manager also introduced its iShares Bitcoin ETF to the Canadian market, listing the product on Cboe Canada.

Trading under the symbols IBIT and IBIT.U for U.S. dollar-denominated units, the iShares Bitcoin ETF offers investors exposure to Bitcoin directly within their brokerage accounts, in a manner similar to its US counterpart.

The iShares Bitcoin ETF tracks the performance of Bitcoin, less the fund's expenses and liabilities, by allocating nearly all of its assets to the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (U.S. IBIT).

Europe has seen a surge in crypto activity, with three major exchanges receiving full Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) licenses last week.

Crypto exchanges OKX, Crypto.com, and Bitpanda all received their licenses to operate in the EU from their respective home countries. Bitpanda received its license from the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), while OKX and Crypto.com obtained theirs in Malta.

Entities operating within the EU’s crypto market are required to comply with MiCA's rules on transparency, disclosure, and governance. The regulation also introduces stricter anti-money laundering protocols and mandates stablecoin issuers to hold sufficient reserves to protect consumers.

The Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) framework, introduced by the European Union, aims to establish a comprehensive regulatory regime for digital assets, ensuring consumer protection, market integrity, and adherence to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards.