Canary Capital files S-1 for Litecoin ETF
2024-10-16

Asset manager Canary Capital has filed registration documents for a spot Litecoin LTCUSD exchange-traded trust (ETF) with United States regulators, according to Oct. 15 documents.
The filing is the latest in a proliferation of proposed ETFs holding alternative cryptocurrencies ahead of the US presidential election in November. 
Canary’s proposed ETF aims to hold spot LTC and closely track the performance of CoinDesk Litecoin Price Index (LTX), according to the filings.
Litecoin is a decentralized peer-to-peer digital currency often pegged as a faster, lower-cost alternative to Bitcoin BTCUSD for small payments. 
Canary files for XRP ETF as well
On Oct. 9, Canary filed an S-1 for a proposed spot XRP ETF. The filing came only days after crypto fund issuer Bitwise sought to register a similar ETF with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
“In short-term, this is likely [a] call option on November election,” Nate Geraci, president of The ETF Store, a financial advisory, said in a post on the X platform.
“Politics clearly matter here in short-term, but I think this is all inevitable over time,” Geraci said. 
The XRP token was issued by Ripple, a crypto payments protocol, in 2012.
In 2020, XRP became the subject of a hotly contested lawsuit brought by the SEC, which alleged the token launch amounted to an unregistered securities offering.
Filing the so-called S-1 registration form is the first step toward launching an LTC ETF but Canary must still wait for the SEC to review the documents. 
The SEC needs to authorize a rule change permitting at least one national securities exchange to list the proposed ETF. 
United States Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris is friendlier toward cryptocurrency than her boss, President Joe Biden, but not as pro-industry as rival and former President Donald Trump, Galaxy Research said on Oct. 14.
Under Biden, a Democrat, the SEC has taken an aggressive regulatory stance toward crypto, bringing upward of 100 regulatory actions against the industry.
In July, Trump promised to “fire” Gary Gensler, who currently heads the SEC. 
Starting in September, Harris began to up her crypto game, listing blockchain technology among several emerging sectors where she wants the US to “remain dominant.” 
Galaxy said “behind the scenes conversations […] suggest Harris is targeting a slightly more constructive approach” than Biden.