The Nasdaq has officially requested access to the US market. The SEC has received a filing from Nasdaq to launch the VanEck Avalanche Trust, an exchange-traded fund that’s bitcoin-backed, as per the report on Zhao. The ETF would allow conventional investors to benefit from AVAX’s price movements without having to own it directly, if approved.
VanEck sponsors this fund, which aims to replicate AVAX’s performance. The fund will invest in AVAX by holding it through an over-the-counter (OTC) operation by a third-party custodian. If this ETF gets approved, it will allow conventional investors to benefit from AVAX’s price movements without directly owning or handling the token. The fund under VanEck wishes to replicate AVAX by holding the token through a third-party custodian.
This is VanEck’s fourth dedicated crypto ETF filing, following its launched products for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. The company is working to connect the traditional financial markets and digital assets to help cryptocurrencies reach mainstream investors for use.
The application of Nasdaq is in line with creating demand for spot crypto ETFs. Simultaneously, Grayscale plans to launch an AVAX-based ETF by transforming one of its AVAX investment funds into a publicly traded product.
Avalanche has had a hard time lately in 2025, despite the positive developments in big finance over the past six months. The AVAX price fell over 50% from January highs to about $18 in early April. However, Nasdaq has filed the paperwork for an ETF, which initially had investors excited and saw AVAX prices pump over 8% in a day.
If the VanEck Avalanche ETF is approved by regulators, it could bring both institutional and retail investors into the AVAX fold, bringing crypto further into the financial system. This scenario is another example of cryptocurrencies being considered a real financial asset in the financial world.