TL;DR
- Bitwise expects more than 100 U.S. crypto-linked ETF launches in 2026, enabled by October 2025 generic SEC listing standards.
- The roadmap runs from Bitcoin’s 2009 launch and 2013 Winklevoss filing to a 2023 Grayscale lawsuit and 2024 spot BTC and ETH ETFs.
- Bloomberg’s James Seyffart counts at least 126 filings and expects liquidations in late 2026 or 2027 as shelves grow, alongside $125B Bitcoin and $22B Ethereum.
A wave of crypto-linked exchange-traded products is building in the United States, and analysts argue 2026 could be the year the pipeline turns into a launchpad. Generic SEC listing standards are the catalyst, after rules introduced in October 2025 allow many crypto ETFs to come to market under a shared framework rather than one-off approvals. Bitwise expects more than 100 crypto-linked ETFs to debut in 2026, calling the moment an “ETF-palooza.” The prediction lands as issuers test how much demand exists beyond today’s headline products. It follows 2024 launches of spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs.
I'm in 100% agreement with @BitwiseInvest here. I also think we're going to see a lot of liquidations in crypto ETP products. Might happen at tail end of 2026 but likely by the end of 2027. Issuers are throwing A LOT of product at the wall — there's at least 126 filings https://t.co/eOmeUIKXFZ pic.twitter.com/UELUKUng7Y
— James Seyffart (@JSeyff) December 17, 2025
From regulatory milestones to an “ETF-palooza”
Bitwise frames the boom as the outcome of a long, uneven regulatory journey. A decade-plus ETF timeline sets the context, starting with Bitcoin’s 2009 network launch and the Winklevoss twins’ first Bitcoin ETF application in 2013. Bitwise filed its own application in 2019, then a 2023 Grayscale lawsuit reshaped approval dynamics. In 2024, spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs finally launched. In 2025, the generic standards arrived and Solana, XRP, and Dogecoin ETF efforts emerged. The firm says clarity unlocked rapid product development. That shift moves compliance from bespoke negotiation to repeatable execution for sponsors nationwide.
Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart agrees with the launch outlook, noting issuers are throwing a lot of product at the wall and estimating at least 126 crypto ETP filings are already in play. The current shelf is not small: U.S.-listed crypto ETPs include roughly $125 billion tied to Bitcoin across about 60 products and around $22 billion tied to Ethereum across roughly 25 products. Other lineups span XRP, Solana, Dogecoin, Chainlink, HBAR, Litecoin, and SUI, plus index and basket products designed for broader exposure. For asset managers, the strategy is breadth first, then scale winners.
Seyffart also cautions that acceleration does not equal permanence. Consolidation and liquidations are baked into the boom, with weaker products likely to be shuttered toward the end of 2026 or into 2027 as market demand separates flagship funds from niche experiments. Even so, the near-term takeaway is straightforward: streamlined listing standards have opened the floodgates for U.S. crypto ETFs. For investors, that means more wrappers, more benchmarks, and more fee competition, but also more noise when launches outpace real adoption. In boardrooms, the key KPI will be assets gathered, not headlines, as the shakeout unfolds.
