VanEck to Close Ethereum Futures ETF, Shifts Focus to Spot ETP

In a significant shift of focus for its crypto-related products, VanEck has announced it will soon shut down and liquidate its Ethereum futures ETF, known as the VanEck Ethereum Strategy ETF (EFUT). This decision, unveiled on September 5, comes on the heels of the approval of VanEck’s spot Ethereum exchange-traded product (ETP), reflecting a strategic pivot towards direct cryptocurrency exposure.

VanEck is an important player in the ETF market, which has recently attracted a lot of investors. Earlier this year, in January 2024, it stirred a lot of news when it closed its Bitcoin futures ETF just after launching its Bitcoin spot ETF. This move was the first of many future products that firms would rather prefer to spot ETFs over futures products on account of their simplicity and direct correspondence with the underlying asset.

Strategic Shift to Spot Ethereum ETP

As per the VanEck press release, the liquidation of the EFUT fund was planned as a result of a comprehensive analysis of many factors, such as the ETF’s performance, liquidity, heaps of assets under management, and the interest of investors. In this way, the VanEck Ethereum Strategy ETF, which is traded on CBOE, will no longer be in operation.

Holders of shares in the ETF have until September 16 to sell their shares on the CBOE. After that, the shares will no longer be available for trading, and the ETF will be delisted. The liquidation process is set to officially start on or about September 23.

As of this date, the shareholders will be given a cash distribution equal to the net asset value of their holdings if they hold onto their shares. This last distribution will be carried out around the same period, and the shareholders will be expecting a capital gain or loss depending on their adjusted basis in the shares.

Moreover, as of September 16, Van Eck will also stop accepting creation orders from authorized participants. In the course of liquidation, the shareholders may receive the final distribution of any net income and capital gains earned by the ETF but not yet distributed.

In terms of taxes, the liquidation will be listed in the year-end tax documents, about which the tax authorities will inform of any returns of capital and the implications for the shareholders’ tax liabilities. The dissolution is the terminal stage in EFUT’s life cycle and demonstrates the shift of VanEck towards its spot Ethereum ETP, this also being part of a bigger development within the investment world, which is the preference of the cryptocurrency itself than trading in its contracts.

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