Bitwise CIO Predicts Big Crypto Gains from New SEC ETP Rules

Key Highlights: 

• The SEC is making new common rules where new processes will be implemented to speed up ETP approvals. 
• The rules include clear requirements about how the crypto is stored, how safe it is, and how much people trade the tokens, so investors can feel more secure. 
• Bitwise’s Matt Hougan says these changes can cause a big shift in the industry. 

The crypto asset management companies may soon experience a crazy shift as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) advances work on universal listing standards for cryptocurrency exchange-traded products (ETPs).

Bitwise Chief Investment Office Matt Hougan has suggested that this shift has the ability to fast track approvals, and can also grant regulatory clearance in as little as 75 days. Speaking to industry media, Hougan has also hinted that the change could set the stage for an “ETPalooza”-style rally by year-end, mirroring explosive growth once seen in the early days of the ETF market.

This outlook draws on the SEC’s experience approving spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, that have already injected billions of U.S. dollars into the crypto market and has managed to attract institutional players as well.

Hougan explained that these generic standards would streamline the approval process, and allow new crypto products such as Solana-based ETPs. With this move, it can also gain mainstream market access without a great burden or consuming a great amount of time, case-by-case scrutiny that has long slowed product launches.

What Are Generic Listing Standards?

The SEC, along with major exchanges such as Cboe BZX, Nasdaq, and NYSE Arca, has recently filed proposed rule changes establishing generic listing standards for commodity-based and crypto ETPs. Within this regulatory framework, the ETPs will be listed under a common rule set, and it will eliminate the need for issuers to submit individual and lengthy applications for each product under Rule 19b-4. Crucially, this standardization has the power to reduce the current approval time from years to approximately 75 days.

These standards also impose clear eligibility criteria that address key factors such as minimum daily trading volume, market capitalization thresholds, and consistent price history. Industry sources suggest requirements such as a $500 million market cap and $50 million in average daily trading volume to make sure the asset is liquid and well-established.

Moreover, the proposal also sets clear rules to protect investors and includes things like safe custody of assets, disclosures about staking, and checks for fraud risks. These measures are designed in such a way that it speeds up the process of product launches but also addresses regulator’s earlier concerns about transparency and risk management in crypto products.

A Streamlined Path for Crypto ETPs

It has been noticed for years that crypto ETP issuers have faced lengthy, uncertain, and highly fragmented approval processes at the SEC. Hougan has described this process as a “black box” that kept the institutional players at bay. The new generic standards will shift from strict, hostile oversight to something that is more cooperative, rule-based system that supports innovation while making sure that they are protecting the integrity of the market.

“This is one of the biggest regulatory upgrades for crypto that nobody is talking about yet,” Hougan said. “ETP issuers will no longer be left in the dark about the outcome or the timeline. With approval windows compressed to 75 days, we are essentially replicating the mechanisms that fuelled the growth of the traditional ETF market.”

What “ETPalooza” Could Look Like

“ETPalooza” coined by Hougan indicates a wave of crypto where ETPs hit the market at once, increasing liquidity, investor choice and institutional inflows into coins such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana. With the SEC’s Solana ETF decision due by October 10, 2025, excitement is building. A rally that is driven by these changes rather than speculation that could reshape crypto investing in the U.S.

Challenges and Forward Outlook

The roadmap looks promising but all of it still depends on the SEC approval, possible congressional backing and global market conditions. Even so, experts see it as a turning point for crypto as it is moving from uncertainty to mainstream acceptance. For investors, the new listing standards means safer, faster access to crypto ETPs, increased product choices, lower fees, and new strategies that include DeFi and tokenized assets.

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