Hedera Hashgraph is making headlines as two investment giants – Grayscale and Canary Capital – have filed applications with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to list HBAR-linked ETFs. If approved, the Hedera ETF would make it easier than ever for investors to access HBAR, without the need for a wallet or private keys.
Key takeaways:
- Hedera ETFs would allow investors to invest in HBAR like regular stocks, without the need for a wallet.
- Approval could come as early as mid-May 2025, marking a major milestone for altcoins in the ETF market.
- Hedera ETFs could expand HBAR’s legitimacy in the traditional finance world, while also attracting more institutional money.
What is a Hedera ETF?
The Hedera ETF is an exchange-traded fund that simulates the value of HBAR – the native token of Hedera Hashgraph – and allows investors to buy and sell it on traditional exchanges like Nasdaq. This eliminates the need for a wallet, seed phrase, or access to a cryptocurrency exchange.
The proponents – Grayscale and Canary Capital – plan to hold real HBAR in cold storage to ensure that their ETF is backed by real assets, not futures or derivatives.
Roadmap
Canary Capital filed its 19b-4 in February 2025, while Grayscale followed suit in March. The SEC’s approval process can take up to 240 days, but experts expect a decision to come sooner – possibly as early as mid-May 2025.
If all goes well, the Hedera ETF could begin trading on the Nasdaq by the end of May.
Why is Hedera ETF noteworthy?
The emergence of the Hedera ETF not only marks a step forward in legitimizing altcoins, but also shows the trend of expanding the crypto ETF market beyond the safe zone of Bitcoin and Ethereum.
More importantly, HBAR has the advantage of never having encountered legal issues regarding securities, which many other altcoins such as XRP have faced. This makes HBAR a “clean” candidate for institutions looking for highly reliable digital assets.
Potential impact on HBAR price
As of the end of April 2025, HBAR was trading around $0.18. According to analysts, if the ETF is approved, the price of HBAR could skyrocket to $0.60 in the short term, thanks to a wave of investment from the traditional market.
In the medium term, if institutional capital continues to flow strongly, the $0.75 mark is entirely feasible. However, experts also warn that the ETF effect may not be as strong as with Bitcoin in 2024.
Hedera ETF and the new wave of altcoin ETFs
Canary Capital is not stopping at HBAR. They are quietly preparing for many other altcoin ETFs such as XRP, Solana, and even unique assets such as Pudgy Penguins. This shows that the market is entering a new phase, where crypto ETFs are no longer limited to the biggest names.
Conclusion
Hedera ETF represents a big step forward not only for HBAR but also for the entire digital asset ecosystem. Investing in HBAR will become simpler, more transparent, and more friendly to traditional investors.
If approved by the SEC, this could be a strong signal that crypto ETFs are entering a second boom phase – where projects with solid technological foundations like Hedera will have the opportunity to go further than ever.