Anticipation of spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) approvals by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) remains high, but the securities regulator reportedly still has a lot of paperwork to go through. While some speculate on a late-week announcement, others expect it early next week as the Jan. 10 deadline approaches.

SEC Still Has Lots of Spot Bitcoin ETF Paperwork to Sort Through

Anticipation of an imminent decision by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that could finally unlock the U.S. spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) market drove the price of bitcoin above $45,000 on Tuesday.

Bloomberg analyst James Seyffart shared on social media platform X details of spot bitcoin ETFs that the SEC is currently considering. “Here’s a view of the Cointucky Derby starting gate as of this morning. We’re focused on these 11 spot bitcoin ETF filers. Expecting most of these N/A’s to be filled over the next ~week.” He added that he is expecting the SEC to approve some applications between Jan. 8-10. “Still looking for potential approval orders in that Jan 8 to Jan 10 window,” he wrote.

“All or almost all of these filers have their AP’s [authorized participants] lined up and they know what their fees are going to be (at least roughly). These N/A’s will have to be filled in before launch and before SEC signs off on the S-1’s but are not needed for 19b-4 approvals as far as I’m aware,” the analyst added.

Last week, Reuters reported that the securities regulator could approve some spot bitcoin ETF applicants that met the Friday deadline for amended filings as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday. CNBC reported Tuesday that the SEC could notify spot bitcoin ETF issuers “as soon as this week if they’ve been cleared to launch” their ETFs.

However, reporters at Fox Business doubt that the SEC will approve spot bitcoin ETFs early this week. Charles Gasparino shared on X Tuesday: “People at Blackrock say it’s radio silence from the SEC.” Citing another Fox reporter Eleanor Terrett’s sources, he wrote:

Eleanor Terrett’s sources say the amount of paper work the SEC still needs to go through make the announcement likely toward week’s end.

The actual deadline for a spot bitcoin ETF decision is Jan. 10 for the proposal by Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest and 21shares. Many expect the SEC to approve multiple spot bitcoin ETFs at once on or before that date.

When do you think the SEC will approve a spot bitcoin ETF? Let us know in the comments section below.