SEC greenlights listing and trading options for BlackRock's spot bitcoin ETF

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has approved BlackRock's proposal to list and trade options for its spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund.

The SEC said it was approving the world's largest asset manager on an "accelerated basis" to list those options for the iShares Bitcoin BTC +0.45% Trust (ticker IBIT), in a filing  posted on Friday. Nasdaq ISE, LLC would be listing and trading those options.

"The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on Amendment Nos. 4 and 5 from interested persons, and is approving the proposed rule change, as modified by Amendment Nos. 1, 4, and 5, on an accelerated basis," the SEC said.

The SEC  approved several spot Bitcoin ETFs in January, including from firms such as BlackRock, Grayscale and Fidelity. Others, including Grayscale and Bitwise, are also looking to list and trade options for their spot bitcoin ETFs.

BlackRock did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"8+ months after spot bitcoin ETFs launched…Options trading has now been approved," said ETF Store President Nate Geraci in a  post on X. "Better late than never."