In just over a decade, crypto went from an experiment… to an ETF you can buy in a retirement account. Today there are 100+ crypto ETFs/ETPs with $145B+ in AUM, letting investors buy BTC, ETH, SOL, and more inside a regular brokerage account. No wallet or private key.

The idea dates back to 2013, when the Winklevoss twins filed for the first US Bitcoin ETF. The SEC rejected it in 2017, but the question stuck: Can a volatile, natively digital asset be wrapped in a regulated, familiar vehicle?

In 2013, Grayscale launched GBTC as a private trust, which began public trading in 2015 before later converting into a spot ETF. In Europe, issuers like @21shares and @CoinSharesCo moved faster with exchange-listed crypto products.