Technology
Ranked: The Largest Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S.
See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.
Ranking the Largest Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S.
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In early January 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (U.S. SEC) gave its approval on exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to track Bitcoin, giving investors an alternative pathway to accessing the world’s biggest cryptocurrency.
In this graphic, we’ve shown the eight largest Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. by assets under management (AUM), as of Feb. 27, 2024. To elaborate, these are ETFs that buy and hold actual Bitcoin, meaning their performance will generally follow that of Bitcoin itself.
The data used to create this graphic was sourced from VettaFi.
| ETF Name | Ticker | AUM |
|---|---|---|
| Grayscale Bitcoin Trust | GBTC | $22.7B |
| iShares Bitcoin Trust Registered | IBIT | $6.6B |
| Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund | FBTC | $4.7B |
| ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF | ARKB | $1.6B |
| Bitwise Bitcoin ETF Trust | BITB | $1.2B |
| Invesco Galaxy Bitcoin ETF | BTCO | $314M |
| VanEck Bitcoin Trust | HODL | $205M |
| Valkyrie Bitcoin Fund | BRRR | $159M |
From these numbers we can see that Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) is the largest by a wide margin. As its name implies, GBTC was originally structured as a trust, but was converted to an ETF on Jan. 11, 2024.
Why Buy a Bitcoin ETF?
Bitcoin ETFs simplify the process of buying and storing Bitcoin. This is because they can be purchased within a traditional brokerage account, just like any other ETF or stock.
Instead of having to think about creating a wallet, memorizing a 12-word seed phrase and holding their keys, this product scraps all of that and provides a well-known path: buy an ETF. This will open the digital asset space to a broader investor base.
Rita Martins, former Head of FinTech Partnerships, HSBC
Investors should be aware that these ETFs charge an expense ratio, which could eat into returns. Information on fees can be easily found on each asset manager’s relevant fund page.
For more visualizations related to Bitcoin, consider this graphic which shows how Bitcoin has performed relative to other major asset classes over the past 10 years.
Technology
Charting the Next Generation of Internet
In this graphic, Visual Capitalist has partnered with MSCI to explore the potential of satellite internet as the next generation of internet innovation.
Could Tomorrow’s Internet be Streamed from Space?
In 2023, 2.6 billion people could not access the internet. Today, companies worldwide are looking to innovative technology to ensure more people are online at the speed of today’s technology.
Could satellite internet provide the solution?
In collaboration with MSCI, we embarked on a journey to explore whether tomorrow’s internet could be streamed from space.
Satellite Internet’s Potential Customer Base
Millions of people live in rural communities or mobile homes, and many spend much of their lives at sea or have no fixed abode. So, they cannot access the internet simply because the technology is unavailable.
Satellite internet gives these communities access to the internet without requiring a fixed location. Consequently, the volume of people who could get online using satellite internet is significant:
| Area | Potential Subscribers |
|---|---|
| Households Without Internet Access | 600,000,000 |
| RVs | 11,000,000 |
| Recreational Boats | 8,500,000 |
| Ships | 100,000 |
| Commercial Aircraft | 25,000 |
Advances in Satellite Technology
Satellite internet is not a new concept. However, it has only recently been that roadblocks around cost and long turnaround times have been overcome.
NASA’s space shuttle, until it was retired in 2011, was the only reusable means of transporting crew and cargo into orbit. It cost over $1.5 billion and took an average of 252 days to launch and refurbish.
In stark contrast, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 can now launch objects into orbit and maintain them at a fraction of the time and cost, less than 1% of the space shuttle’s cost.
| Average Rocket Turnaround Time | Average Launch/Refurbishment Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Falcon 9* | 21 days | < $1,000,000 |
| Space Shuttle | 252 days | $1,500,000,000 (approximately) |
Satellites are now deployed 300 miles in low Earth orbit (LEO) rather than 22,000 miles above Earth in Geostationary Orbit (GEO), previously the typical satellite deployment altitude.
What this means for the consumer is that satellite internet streamed from LEO has a latency of 40 ms, which is an optimal internet connection. Especially when compared to the 700 ms stream latency experienced with satellite internet streamed from GEO.
What Would it Take to Build a Satellite Internet?
SpaceX, the private company that operates Starlink, currently has 4,500 satellites. However, the company believes it will require 10 times this number to provide comprehensive satellite internet coverage.
Charting the number of active satellites reveals that, despite the increasing number of active satellites, many more must be launched to create a comprehensive satellite internet.
| Year | Number of Active Satellites |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 6,905 |
| 2021 | 4,800 |
| 2020 | 3,256 |
| 2019 | 2,272 |
| 2018 | 2,027 |
| 2017 | 1,778 |
| 2016 | 1,462 |
| 2015 | 1,364 |
| 2014 | 1,262 |
| 2013 | 1,187 |
Next-Generation Internet Innovation
Innovation is at the heart of the internet’s next generation, and the MSCI Next Generation Innovation Index exposes investors to companies that can take advantage of potentially disruptive technologies like satellite internet.
You can gain exposure to companies advancing access to the internet with four indexes:
- MSCI ACWI IMI Next Generation Internet Innovation Index
- MSCI World IMI Next Generation Internet Innovation 30 Index
- MSCI China All Shares IMI Next Generation Internet Innovation Index
- MSCI China A Onshore IMI Next Generation Internet Innovation Index
MSCI thematic indexes are objective, rules-based, and regularly updated to focus on specific emerging trends that could evolve.
Click here to explore the MSCI thematic indexes
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