First US spot Chainlink ETF could turn LINK into the next institutional obsession

Asset manager Bitwise has applied to launch a spot Chainlink exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the United States, according to an Aug. 26 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The proposed fund, called the Bitwise Chainlink ETF, would issue shares representing fractional interests in Chainlink held by the trust. These shares are expected to be listed on a national securities exchange, although the filing does not yet specify the ticker.

If approved, the product would mark the first US ETF designed to offer direct exposure to the digital asset.

Chainlink ETF

Chainlink has grown into one of the most widely used decentralized oracle networks, supplying off-chain data to smart contracts across Ethereum and other blockchain networks.

The LINK token, which is the 11th-largest digital asset by market cap, underpins this activity, compensating node operators for retrieving external information and performing computations.

Over time, Chainlink has also extended its reach into traditional finance, forging partnerships with financial institutions like Swift, Visa, Mastercard, and JPMorgan.

Due to this, there has been significant institutional demand for the digital asset.

Considering this, Bitwise said the ETF’s objective is to mirror the value of Chainlink’s LINK token held in custody, after accounting for fees and expenses.

According to the filing:

“The Trust is passively managed and does not pursue active management investment strategies, and the Sponsor does not actively manage the Chainlink held by the Trust.

This means that the Sponsor does not sell Chainlink at times when its price is high or acquire Chainlink at low prices in the expectation of future price increases.

It also means that the Sponsor does not make use of any of the hedging techniques available to professional Chainlink investors to attempt to reduce the risks of losses resulting from price decreases.”

The firm added that the fund’s pricing would rely on the CME CF Chainlink–Dollar Reference Rate (New York Variant), a benchmark published daily by CF Benchmarks Ltd. Coinbase Custody Trust Company will serve as custodian for the underlying tokens.

With this product, Bitwise attempts to bridge decentralized infrastructure with regulated markets by wrapping Chainlink into an ETF format.

The filing’s approval would not only expand investor access beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs but also highlight growing demand for exposure to assets that play a foundational role in decentralized finance.

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