Will Dogecoin (DOGE) Finally Make Its Mark on Wall Street?

Following the approval of spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs this year, asset managers have already filed applications for other products enabling investors to gain exposure to digital assets through a traditional brokerage account.

After approving spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs this year, asset managers have already filed applications for other products enabling investors to gain exposure to digital assets through a traditional brokerage account. And it should be expected that firms will keep pushing the envelope further.

Even Dogecoin could get its own spot ETF.

“The ETF industry is famous for throwing spaghetti at the wall,” Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas told Decrypt. “I imagine we'll see all kinds of stuff get attempted, including DOGE.”

“I'm actually surprised it hasn't been filed already,” Balchunas added.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs were approved this year, but the first application was filed with regulators over a decade ago, and the process was marked by legal conflict brought on behalf of asset managers. Even though the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) later approved spot Ethereum ETFs this year, the development was largely unexpected, and it remains to be seen how the regulator could treat applications for other crypto ETFs in the future.

Bitwise Senior Investment Strategist Juan Leon told Decrypt that regulators have historically applied a high level of scrutiny to applications for crypto ETFs, presenting a difficult path to approval for an asset like Dogecoin under the SEC’s current administration.

When evaluating applications for spot ETFs, the SEC has typically required that a digital asset—whether it’s Bitcoin or Ethereum—both have a regulated futures market and substantial liquidity in its spot market, Leon said. Under the framework set forth by current SEC leadership, “Doge wouldn't meet those qualifications.”

However, with SEC Chair Gary Gensler likely to depart following Donald Trump’s White House win, the regulator could take a more hands-off approach to approving applications, Leon said.

Even so, he thinks that ETFs for Ripple (XRP), Solana (SOL), and Avalanche (AVAX) would come first, as tokens with utility that aren’t commonly known for being a $55 billion joke.

“If there is regulatory clarity [...], you could ostensibly see issuers pursue a Doge ETF, and I could see it getting approved at some point,” Leon said. “It certainly has demand from the retail audience, so I can see an issuer being interested in launching it.”

Several asset managers filed for approval to launch spot ETFs covering Ripple, Solana, and Litecoin as Election Day approached. Filed in October, the SEC has yet to weigh in on the applications. Meanwhile, no firm has yet to file an application for a Dogecoin ETF, even outside the U.S.

According to Grayscale Head of Product and Research Rayhaneh Sharif-Askary, Dogecoin is the largest asset in the firm’s Consumer and Culture Crypto Sector. Classified as a leader in media and entertainment, Sharif-Askary told Decrypt that the meme coin is something of an anomaly.

While playful in nature, he said that Dogecoin has seen genuine use as a peer-to-peer currency.

“Memes have existed since the dawn of civilization,” she said, pointing to cave paintings and Roman graffiti. “While it was once easy to dismiss meme coins due to their playful nature, it would be irresponsible to ignore DOGE’s usage on-chain and the very real use case that is being fulfilled.”

As an ETF candidate, Grayscale has been keeping tabs on Dogecoin. While not currently included in any of Grayscale’s products, the asset manager said in an October blog post that Dogecoin is “under consideration” for inclusion in future products