The era of crypto ETFs tied only to Bitcoin and Ethereum may be nearing its end. Market watchers believe the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is laying the groundwork for broader approvals, potentially unlocking a flood of new altcoin investment products.
According to Bloomberg analyst James Seyffart, several tokens are already positioned to qualify under existing listing rules. Among the likely contenders are Chainlink (LINK), Stellar (XLM), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Avalanche (AVAX), Litecoin (LTC), and Polkadot (DOT).
Popular names such as Solana (SOL), Dogecoin (DOGE), Shiba Inu (SHIB), Ripple’s XRP, and Cardano (ADA) also feature prominently thanks to their liquidity and established derivatives markets.
Bitcoin and Ethereum, of course, will remain the anchors of the ETF ecosystem, but the expectation is that once the SEC opens the door, the next tier of digital assets will be ready to follow.
The case of Ethereum ETFs offers a cautionary tale. When they launched in July 2024, inflows were far weaker than many predicted. Advisers were still digesting the implications of Bitcoin ETFs, and the lack of staking features left Ethereum funds looking incomplete. Analysts argue that when staking becomes formally integrated into ETF structures, interest could accelerate.
If the SEC greenlights altcoin ETFs, the first wave is likely to focus on household names such as Solana, XRP, and Cardano, with broader diversification coming later through basket products. Demand will not be equal across all assets, but the arrival of new funds would represent a major milestone: the normalization of altcoins as part of Wall Street’s financial toolkit.
For now, the debate has shifted. It’s no longer about whether ETFs will expand beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum — it’s about which tokens will be first in line.
