After months of speculation and regulatory anticipation, the launch of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for Hedera (HBAR) and Litecoin (LTC) on Nasdaq has been confirmed.
Canary Capital’s CEO Steven McClurg confirmed the long-awaited debut on Monday, signaling a pivotal moment for both digital assets in the growing cryptocurrency ETF market.
ETF launches move forward despite shutdown
Crypto reporter Eleanor Terret shared on X that the ETF listings for Hedera and Litecoin are imminent.
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has also issued listing notices for Bitwise Invest’s spot Solana (SOL) ETF and Grayscale’s conversion, both scheduled to follow this week.
Despite the ongoing US government shutdown, these ETF rollouts are proceeding without disruption.
Terret confirmed that the required legal processes, including 8-A filings, were completed successfully. These filings authorize public trading and signal final approval steps for the issuers.
Concerns about the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) role during the shutdown have been addressed through amended S-1 filings.
Issuers added provisions enabling automatic effectiveness 20 days after filing, allowing trading to commence even without manual SEC clearance.
Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas confirmed this on social media, noting that “assuming there’s no last-minute SEC intervention, it looks like this is happening.”
The confirmation has fueled a short-term rally in both tokens. Litecoin has climbed above $100, posting a 2% 24-hour gain, while Hedera rose by 2.1% in the same period.
Market optimism rises ahead of ETF debut
Canary Capital’s filings reveal that both the HBAR and LTC ETFs will carry a 0.95% management fee.
Balchunas noted that while the fee is higher than existing Bitcoin ETFs, it aligns with trends for funds entering emerging markets.
He added that lower-cost products could follow once investor flows increase. The proposed ticker symbols for the new ETFs are “HBR” for Hedera and “LTCC” for Litecoin.
Market sentiment remains upbeat despite federal uncertainty. Prediction market platform Polymarket shows traders assigning an 88% probability of a Litecoin ETF approval by year’s end. The platform also places the odds of a Hedera ETF approval between 60% and 80% before 2026.
Hedera now appears in six US ETF filings from issuers such as Grayscale, Canary, REX-Osprey, and KraneShares, suggesting rising institutional interest.
The Nasdaq has filed Form 19b-4 to list and trade shares of the HBAR fund once SEC approval is granted. The agency extended the review deadline to November 8 to complete additional administrative checks.
Hedera’s Chief Policy Officer, Nilmini Rubit, recently joined the Institute of International Finance’s delegation at Nasdaq’s “Ring the Bell” ceremony, reflecting closer ties between traditional finance and blockchain technology.
Meanwhile, Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley hinted that this week could be transformative for crypto ETFs.
The NYSE has already approved Bitwise’s Solana Staking ETF for listing on NYSE Arca, pending SEC clearance.
The fund aims to combine staking functionality with traditional ETF exposure, providing investors access to on-chain rewards while maintaining regulatory compliance.