Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas posited whether crypto exchanges would be forced to revisit their pricing structures should a spot Bitcoin ETF be approved, given the seemingly low fees charged by some of the most prominent players.
However, regarding the issuers offering lower fees, Caitlin Long of digital asset custody platform Custodia Bank raised concerns that low ETF fees could indicate problems for issuers regarding covering costs. While seemingly a direct competitor for Custodia, Long warned that ETF issuers who offer fees that are not high enough to cover their costs may resort to lending securities to offset losses.
According to the filed prospectuses of the ETF applicants, Bitcoin in custody will not be being lent in such a manner but instead held in cold storage. However, it is possible for ETF shares to be lent out with collateral backing the transaction.
We analyzed some of the top crypto exchanges to compare how low these fees are. The chart below shows the transaction fees for some of the most popular crypto platforms for traders making a market order with no promotional benefits such as staking, holding native tokens, or high trading volume.
| Exchange | Trading Fees | $100 | $200 | $2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kraken | 0.26% | $0.26 | $0.52 | $5.20 |
| Coinbase | 0.60% | $0.60 | $1.20 | $12.00 |
| Crypto.com | 0.075% | $0.075 | $0.15 | $1.50 |
| Gemini | $0.99, 1.49% for >$199 | $0.99 | $2.98 | $29.80 |
| Cash App | 3%, 1.75% for >$199, 1.25% for >$1999 | $3.00 | $3.50 | $25.00 |
| Binance | 0.1% | $0.10 | $0.20 | $2.00 |
The chart below shows the cost of holding the equivalent values of Bitcoin for 1 year within the proposed Bitcoin ETFs currently awaiting approval.
| ETF Issuer | Fees (bps) | $100 | $200 | $2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invesco / Galaxy | 59 bps | $0.59 | $1.18 | $11.80 |
| Blackrock | 30 bps | $0.30 | $0.60 | $6.00 |
| Bitwise | 24 bps | $0.24 | $0.48 | $4.80 |
| Ark | 25 bps | $0.25 | $0.50 | $5.00 |
| Fidelity | 39 bps | $0.39 | $0.78 | $7.80 |
| Valkyrie | 80 bps | $0.80 | $1.60 | $16.00 |
| Grayscale | 150 bps | $1.50 | $3.00 | $30.00 |
| WisdomTree | 50 bps | $0.50 | $1.00 | $10.00 |
| VanEck | 25 bps | $0.25 | $0.50 | $5.00 |
It is worth noting that to acquire any shares in the above Bitcoin ETFs, users must use a broker to make the purchase. Some brokers charge fees for custodying shares, while others charge no fees. For instance, exchanges such as Webull, eToro, and Robinhood offer zero-commission trading. In contrast, others such as Hargreaves Lansdown, BestInvest, Interactive Investor, and ig.com charge a fixed fee for U.S. ETF purchases, with some offering zero commission after a set number of fees.
This analysis will assume zero-commission trading for the proposed spot Bitcoin ETFs.
Taking this into account, it would appear that…
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