Polkadot ETF Filing: Nasdaq Files for 21Shares

March 18, 2025 by Jhon E. Bermúdez

Key Takeaways In a move that could excite crypto enthusiasts, Nasdaq has submitted a filing for a Polkadot ETF on behalf of 21Shares. This ETF is designed to closely follow the real-time spot price of DOT. But that’s not all from 21Shares! They are also actively pursuing the green light from regulators for ETFs connected

Key Takeaways

In a move that could excite crypto enthusiasts, Nasdaq has submitted a filing for a Polkadot ETF on behalf of 21Shares. This ETF is designed to closely follow the real-time spot price of DOT.
But that’s not all from 21Shares! They are also actively pursuing the green light from regulators for ETFs connected to both XRP and Solana.

In a significant development for crypto investment products, Nasdaq has officially filed a Form 19b-4 with the SEC. This filing is a bid to get the go-ahead to list and trade shares of 21Shares’ brand new spot Polkadot ETF. This proposed fund is designed to mirror the spot price of Polkadot’s very own DOT coin, currently sitting as the 27th largest crypto asset based on market capitalization.

This filing by Nasdaq closely follows 21Shares’ S-1 amendment, which they submitted earlier this month, indicating a proactive approach towards bringing this product to market. As of right now, a specific ticker symbol hasn’t been officially announced for this potentially US-listed ETF.

Taking the lead as the fund’s sponsor, 21Shares is looking to create a regulated and easy-to-access way for investors to tap into DOT. Interestingly, this isn’t their first venture into products linked to this particular crypto asset.

In fact, 21Shares already offers the “21Shares Polkadot ETP,” which you can find trading under the ticker ADOT on a number of European exchanges. This includes major exchanges like Euronext Amsterdam, Euronext Paris, XETRA, and the SIX Swiss Exchange.

The existing ADOT ETP is actually physically backed by DOT tokens, giving investors a regulated pathway to get involved with the Polkadot network.

Expanding their crypto ETF ambitions even further, 21Shares is also working towards getting regulatory nods for ETFs linked to other popular digital assets, including XRP and Solana (SOL).

In another interesting move, the firm has also suggested exploring staking for their 21Shares Core Ethereum ETF. This could potentially unlock additional returns for investors. Importantly, the proposal clarifies that any staking activities would be strictly limited to Ether directly owned by the Trust, specifically avoiding delegated staking or using staking-as-a-service platforms.

And it’s worth noting that 21Shares isn’t the only player eyeing a spot Polkadot ETF. Grayscale Investments is also in the race, seeking to launch their own version.

In the past, Tuttle Capital Management also threw their hat in the ring, proposing a leveraged 2x Polkadot ETF as part of a larger filing for ten leveraged crypto ETFs. However, they later decided to withdraw all of their 2x leveraged ETF proposals.

Following the news of this ETF filing, DOT’s price saw a little bump upwards. Currently, the token’s market capitalization is sitting at a solid $6.4 billion, according to data from CoinGecko.