90 FR 153 pgs. 38855-38864 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of a Proposed Rule Change To Amend Rule 19.3
Type: NOTICEVolume: 90Number: 153Pages: 38855 - 38864
Pages: 38855, 38856, 38857, 38858, 38859, 38860, 38861, 38862, 38863, 38864Docket number: [Release No. 34-103655; File No. SR-CboeBZX-2025-111]
FR document: [FR Doc. 2025-15256 Filed 8-11-25; 8:45 am]
Agency: Securities and Exchange Commission
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-103655; File No. SR-CboeBZX-2025-111]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of a Proposed Rule Change To Amend Rule 19.3
August 7, 2025.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Act"), 1 and Rule 19b-4 thereunder, 2 notice is hereby given that on August 4, 2024, Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (the "Exchange" or "BZX") filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("Commission") a proposed rule change as described in Items I and II below, which Items have been prepared by the Exchange. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons.
Footnotes:
1 ?15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 ?17 CFR 240.19b-4.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change
Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (the "Exchange" or "BZX Options") proposes to amend Rule 19.3. The text of the proposed rule change is provided in Exhibit 5.
The text of the proposed rule change is also available on the Exchange's website ( http://markets.cboe.com/us/equities/regulation/rule_filings/bzx/ ), and at the Exchange's Office of the Secretary.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
[top] In its filing with the Commission, the Exchange included statements concerning the purpose of and basis for the proposed rule change and discussed any comments it received on the proposed rule change. The text of these statements may be examined at the
A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to amend Rule 19.3 regarding the criteria for underlying securities. Specifically, the Exchange proposes to amend Rule 19.3(i)(4) to allow the Exchange to list and trade options on shares or other securities ("Fund Shares") that are principally traded on a national securities exchange and are defined as an "NMS stock" under Rule 600 of Regulation NMS and that represent interests in the VanEck Bitcoin ETF. 3 Current Rule 19.3(i) provides that, subject to certain other criteria set forth in that Rule, securities deemed appropriate for options trading include Fund Shares that represent certain types of interests, 4 including interests in certain specific trusts that hold financial instruments, money market instruments, or precious metals (which are deemed commodities).
Footnotes:
3 ? See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 99306 (January 10, 2024), 89 FR 3008, 3009 (January 17, 2024) (SR-NYSEArca-2021-90; SR-NYSEArca-2023-44; SR-NYSEArca-2023-58; SR-NASDAQ-2023-016; SR-NASDAQ-2023-019; SR-CboeBZX-2023-028; SR-CboeBZX-2023-038; SR-CboeBZX-2023-040; SR-CboeBZX-2023-042; SRCboeBZX-2023-044; and SR-CboeBZX-2023-072) (Order Granting Accelerated Approval of Proposed Rule Changes, as Modified by Amendments Thereto, to List and Trade Bitcoin-Based Commodity-Based Trust Shares and Trust Units) ("Bitcoin ETP Approval Order").
4 ? See Rule 19.3(i) which permits options trading on Fund Shares that (1) represent interests in registered investment companies (or series thereof) organized as open-end management investment companies, unit investment trusts or similar entities, and that hold portfolios of securities comprising or otherwise based on or representing investments in indexes or portfolios of securities (or that hold securities in one or more other registered investment companies that themselves hold such portfolios of securities) ("Funds") and/or financial instruments including, but not limited to, stock index futures contracts, options on futures, options on securities and indexes, equity caps, collars and floors, swap agreements, forward contracts, repurchase agreements and reverse repurchase agreements (the "Financial Instruments"), and money market instruments, including, but not limited to, U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements (the "Money Market Instruments") constituting or otherwise based on or representing an investment in an index or portfolio of securities and/or Financial Instruments and Money Market Instruments, or (2) represent commodity pool interests principally engaged, directly or indirectly, in holding and/or managing portfolios or baskets of securities, commodity futures contracts, options on commodity futures contracts, swaps, forward contracts and/or options on physical commodities and/or non-U.S. currency ("Commodity Pool ETFs") or (3) represent interests in a trust or similar entity that holds a specified non-U.S. currency or currencies deposited with the trust or similar entity when aggregated in some specified minimum number may be surrendered to the trust by the beneficial owner to receive the specified non-U.S. currency or currencies and pays the beneficial owner interest and other distributions on the deposited non-U.S. currency or currencies, if any, declared and paid by the trust ("Currency Trust Shares"), or (4) represent interests in the SPDR Gold Trust or are issued by the iShares COMEX Gold Trust or iShares Silver Trust, the Aberdeen Standard Physical Silver Trust, the Aberdeen Standard Physical Gold Trust, the Aberdeen Standard Physical Palladium Trust, the Aberdeen Standard Physical Platinum Trust, the Sprott Physical Gold Trust, the Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF, the Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund, the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF, the iShares Bitcoin Trust, the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, the Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust, the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF, the Bitwise Ethereum ETF, the Grayscale Ethereum Trust, the Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust, the iShares Ethereum Trust, or the Fidelity Ethereum Fund.
The VanEck Bitcoin ETF is a Bitcoin-backed commodity exchange-traded fund ("ETF") structured as trusts. Similar to any Fund Share currently deemed appropriate for options trading under Rule 19.3(i), the investment objective of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF is for its shares to reflect the performance of Bitcoin (less the expenses of the trust's operations), offering investors an opportunity to gain exposure to Bitcoin without the complexities of Bitcoin delivery. As is the case for Fund Shares currently deemed appropriate for options trading, the VanEck Bitcoin ETF represents units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in the trust, the assets of which consist principally of Bitcoin and are designed to track Bitcoin or the performance of the price of Bitcoin and offer access to the Bitcoin market. 5 The VanEck Bitcoin ETF provides investors with a cost-efficient alternative that allows a level of participation in the Bitcoin market through the securities market. The primary substantive difference between the VanEck Bitcoin ETF and Fund Shares currently deemed appropriate for options trading are that Fund Shares may hold securities, certain financial instruments, and specified precious metals (which are deemed commodities), while the VanEck Bitcoin ETF holds Bitcoin (which is also deemed a commodity).
Footnotes:
5 ?The trust may include minimal cash.
The Exchange believes the VanEck Bitcoin ETF satisfies the Exchange's initial listing standards for Fund Shares on which the Exchange may list options. Specifically, the VanEck Bitcoin ETF satisfies the initial listing standards set forth in Rule 19.3(i), as is the case for other Fund Shares on which the Exchange lists options (including trusts that hold commodities). Rule 19.3(i)(1) requires that Fund Shares either (1) meet the criteria and standards set forth in Rule 19.3(a) and (b), 6 or (2) are available for creation or redemption each business day in cash or in kind from the investment company, commodity pool or other entity at a price related to net asset value, and the investment company, commodity pool or other entity is obligated to provide that Fund Shares may be created even if some or all of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited have not been received by the Fund, the unit investment trust or the management investment company, provided the authorized creation participant has undertaken to deliver the securities and/or cash as soon as possible and such undertaking is secured by the delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash or cash equivalents satisfactory to the Fund, all as described in the Fund's or unit trust's prospectus. The VanEck Bitcoin ETF satisfies Rule 19.3(i)(1)(B) as each is subject to this creation and redemption process.
Footnotes:
6 ?Rule 19.3(a) and (b) sets forth the criteria an underlying security must meet for the Exchange to be able to list options on the underlying.
While not required by the Rules for purposes of options listings, the Exchange believes the VanEck Bitcoin ETF satisfies the criteria and guidelines set forth in Rule 19.3(a) and (b). Pursuant to Rule 19.3(a), a security (which includes a Fund Share) on which options may be listed and traded on the Exchange must be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("Commission") and be an NMS stock (as defined in Rule 600 of Regulation NMS under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Act")), and be characterized by a substantial number of outstanding shares that are widely held and actively traded. 7 The VanEck Bitcoin ETF is an NMS Stock as defined in Rule 600 of Regulation NMS under the Act. 8 The Exchange believes the VanEck Bitcoin ETF is characterized by a substantial number of outstanding shares that are widely held and actively traded.
Footnotes:
7 ?The criteria and guidelines for a security to be considered widely held and actively traded are set forth in Rule 19.3(b), subject to exceptions.
8 ?An "NMS stock" means any NMS security other than an option, and an "NMS security" means any security or class of securities for which transaction reports are collected, processed, and made available pursuant to an effective transaction reporting plan (or an effective national market system plan for reporting transaction in listed options). See 17 CFR 242.600(b)(64) (definition of "NMS security") and (65) (definition of "NMS stock").
[top] As of March 5, 2025, the VanEck Bitcoin ETF had the following number of shares outstanding:
| Bitcoin Fund | Shares outstanding |
|---|---|
| VanEck Bitcoin ETF | 49,900,000 |
The VanEck Bitcoin ETF had significantly more than 7,000,000 shares outstanding (approximately 7 times that amount), which is the minimum number of shares of a corporate stock that the Exchange generally requires to list options on that stock pursuant to Rule 19.3(b). The Exchange believes this demonstrates that the VanEck Bitcoin ETF is characterized by a substantial number of outstanding shares.
Further, the below table contains information regarding the number of beneficial holders of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF as of the specified dates:
| Bitcoin Fund | Beneficial holders | Date |
|---|---|---|
| VanEck Bitcoin ETF | 32,469 | 1/31/25 |
As this table shows, the VanEck Bitcoin ETF has significantly more than 2,000 beneficial holders (approximately 16 times more), which is the minimum number of holders the Exchange generally requires for corporate stock in order to list options on that stock pursuant to Rule 19.3(b). Therefore, the Exchange believes the shares of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF are widely held. 9
Footnotes:
9 ?The Exchange continues to believe assets under management ("AUM"), rather than shares outstanding and number of holders, is a better measure of investable capacity of ETFs and a more appropriate figure for determining position and exercise limits of ETFs and looks forward to further discussions with the Commission staff on this topic.
As of March 5, 2025, the total trading volume (by shares) for the trust for the six-month period of September 5, 2024, through March 5, 2025, and the approximate average daily volume ("ADV") (in shares and notional) over the 30-day period of January 21, 2025, through March 5, 2025, for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF was as follows:
| Bitcoin Fund | 6-Month trading volume (shares) | 30-Day ADV (shares) | 30-Day ADV (notional $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| VanEck Bitcoin ETF | 133,275,448 | 794,677 | 39,163,513.72 |
As demonstrated above, as of March 5, 2025, the six-month trading volume for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF as of that date was substantially higher than 2,400,000 shares (approximately 55 times that amount), which is the minimum 12-month volume the Exchange generally requires for a corporate stock in order to list options on that security as set forth in Rule 19.3(b). The Exchange believes this data demonstrates the VanEck Bitcoin ETF is characterized as having shares that are actively traded.
[top] Options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF will be subject to the Exchange's continued listing standards set forth in Rule 19.4(g) for Fund Shares deemed appropriate for options trading pursuant to Rule 19.3(i). Specifically, 19.4(g) provides that Fund Shares that were initially approved for options trading pursuant to Rule 19.3 will not be deemed to meet the requirements for continued approval, and the Exchange shall not open for trading any additional series of option contracts of the class covering such Fund Shares if the security ceases to be an NMS stock (see Rule 19.4(b)(4)). Additionally, the Exchange will not open for trading any additional series of option contracts of the class covering Fund Shares in any of the following circumstances: (1) in the case of options covering Fund Shares approved for trading under Rule 19.3(i)(4)(A), in accordance with the terms of Rule 19.4(b)(1), (2) and (3); (2) in the case of options covering Fund Shares approved pursuant to Rule 19.3(i)(4)(B), following the initial 12-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading in the Fund Shares on a national securities exchange and are defined as NMS stock under Rule 600 of Regulation NMS, there were fewer than 50 record and/or beneficial holders of such Fund Shares for 30 consecutive days; (3) the value of the index, non-U.S. currency, portfolio of commodities including commodity futures contracts, options on commodity futures contracts, swaps, forward contracts and/or options on physical commodities and/or Financial Instruments or Money Market Instruments, or portfolio of securities on which the Fund Shares are based is no longer calculated or available; or (4) such other event occurs or condition exists that in the opinion of the Exchange makes further dealing in such options on the Exchange inadvisable.
Options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF will be physically settled contracts with American-style exercise. 10 Consistent with current Rule 19.6, which governs the opening of options series on a specific underlying security (including Fund Shares), the Exchange will open at least one expiration month for options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF? 11 at the commencement of trading on the Exchange and may also list series of options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF for trading on a weekly, 12 monthly, 13 or quarterly? 14 basis. The Exchange may also list long-term equity option series ("LEAPS") that expire from 12 to 39 months from the time they are listed. 15
Footnotes:
10 ? See Rule 19.2, which provides that the rights and obligations of holders and writers are set forth in the Rules of the Options Clearing Corporation ("OCC"); and Equity Options Product Specifications January 3, 2024), available at Equity Options Specifications ( cboe.com ); see also OCC Rules, Chapters VIII (which governs exercise and assignment) and Chapter IX (which governs the discharge of delivery and payment obligations arising out of the exercise of physically settled stock option contracts).
11 ? See Rule 4.5(b). The monthly expirations are subject to certain listing criteria for underlying securities described within Rule 4.3. Monthly listings expire the third Friday of the month. The term "expiration date" (unless separately defined elsewhere in the OCC By-Laws), when used in respect of an option contract (subject to certain exceptions), means the third Friday of the expiration month of such option contract, or if such Friday is a day on which the exchange on which such option is listed is not open for business, the preceding day on which such exchange is open for business. See OCC By-Laws Article I, Section 1. Pursuant to Rule 4.5(c), additional series of options of the same class may be opened for trading on the Exchange when the Exchange deems it necessary to maintain an orderly market, to meet customer demand or when the market price of the underlying stock moves more than five strike prices from the initial exercise price or prices. New series of options on an individual stock may be added until the beginning of the month in which the options contract will expire. Due to unusual market conditions, the Exchange, in its discretion, may add a new series of options on an individual stock until the close of trading on the business day prior to expiration.
12 ? See Rule 19.6, Interpretation and Policy .05.
13 ? See Rule 19.6, Interpretation and Policy .08.
14 ? See Rule 19.6, Interpretation and Policy .04.
15 ? See Rule 19.8.
Pursuant to Rule 19.6, Interpretation and Policy .01, which governs strike prices of series of options on Fund Shares, the interval of strikes prices for series of options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF will be $1 or greater when the strike price is $200 or less and $5 or greater where the strike price is over $200. 16 Additionally, the Exchange may list series of options pursuant to the $1 Strike Price Interval Program, 17 the $0.50 Strike Program, 18 the $2.50 Strike Price Program, 19 and the $5 Strike Program. 20 Pursuant to Rule 21.5, where the price of a series of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF option is less than $3.00, the minimum increment will be $0.05, and where the price is $3.00 or higher, the minimum increment will be $0.10. 21 Any and all new series of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF options that the Exchange lists will be consistent and comply with the expirations, strike prices, and minimum increments set forth in Rules 19.6 and 21.5, as applicable.
Footnotes:
16 ?The Exchange notes that for options listed pursuant to the Short Term Option Series Program, the Monthly Options Series Program, and the Quarterly Options Series Program, Rule 19.6, Interpretations and Policies .05, .08, and .04 specifically sets forth intervals between strike prices on Quarterly Options Series, Short Term Option Series, and Monthly Options Series, respectively.
17 ? See Rule 19.6, Interpretation and Policy .02.
18 ? See Rule 19.6, Interpretation and Policy .06.
19 ? See Rule 19.6, Interpretation and Policy .03.
20 ? See Rule 19.6(d)(5).
21 ?If options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF are eligible to participate in the Penny Interval Program, the minimum increment will be $0.01 for series with a price below $3.00 and $0.05 for series with a price at or above $3.00. See 21.5(d) (which describes the requirements for the Penny Interval Program).
VanEck Bitcoin ETF options will trade in the same manner as any other Fund Share options on the Exchange. The Exchange Rules that currently apply to the listing and trading of all Fund Share options on the Exchange, including, for example, Rules that govern listing criteria, expirations, exercise prices, minimum increments, margin requirements, customer accounts, and trading halt procedures will apply to the listing and trading of VanEck Bitcoin ETF options on the Exchange in the same manner as they apply to other options on all other Fund Shares that are listed and traded on the Exchange, including the precious-metal backed commodity Fund Shares already deemed appropriate for options trading on the Exchange pursuant to current Rule 19.3(i).
Pursuant to Rules 18.7 and 18.9, the position and exercise limits, respectively, for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF option will be 25,000 same side option contracts. 22 The Exchange believes these proposed position and exercise limits considering, among other things, the approximate six-month average daily volume ("ADV") and outstanding shares of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF (which as discussed above demonstrate that the VanEck Bitcoin ETF is widely held and actively traded and thus justify these conservatively proposed position limits), as set forth below, along with market capitalization (as of March 5, 2025):
Footnotes:
22 ?Rule 18.7(a)(1) provides that no Options Member shall make, for any account in which it has any interest or for the account of any Customer, an opening transaction on any exchange if the Options Member has reason to believe that as a result of such transaction the Options Member or its Customer would, acting alone or in concert with others, directly or indirectly, exceed the applicable position limit fixed by Cboe Exchange, Inc. ("Cboe Options"). Cboe Options Rule 8.30, Interpretation and Policy .10 establishes a position limit for the Bitcoin Fund options of 25,000.
| Underlying Bitcoin Fund | Six-month ADV (shares) | Outstanding shares | Market capitalization ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| VanEck Bitcoin ETF | 1,074,802 | 49,900,000 | 1,271,859,416 |
The Exchange then compared the number of outstanding shares of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF to those of other ETFs. The following table provides the approximate average position (and exercise limit) of ETF options with similar outstanding shares (as of March 5, 2025), compared to the proposed position and exercise limit for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF options:
| Underlying Bitcoin Fund | Average limit of other ETF options (contracts) | Proposed limit (contracts) |
|---|---|---|
| VanEck Bitcoin ETF | *?225,000 | 25,000 |
| * Over 90% of the ETFs used for comparison have a limit of at least 200,000, and more than 75% have a limit of 250,000. | ||
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The Exchange considered current position and exercise limits of options on ETFs with outstanding shares comparable to those of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF, with the proposed limit significantly lower (between two and ten times lower) than the average limits of the options on the other ETFs. As discussed above, the VanEck Bitcoin ETF is actively held and widely traded (all statistics as of March 5, 2025) because it: (1) had significantly more than 7,000,000 shares outstanding, which is the minimum number of shares of a corporate stock that the Exchange generally requires to list options on that stock pursuant to Rule 19.3(b)(1); (2) the VanEck Bitcoin ETF (as of the dates listed above) had significantly more than 2,000 beneficial holders, which is the minimum number of holders the Exchange generally requires for corporate stock in order to list options on that stock pursuant to Rule 19.3(b)(2); and (3) the VanEck Bitcoin ETF had a six-month trading volume substantially higher than 2,400,000 shares, which is the minimum 12-month volume the Exchange generally requires for a security in order to list options on that security as set forth in Rule 19.3(b)(4).
With respect to outstanding shares, if a market participant held the maximum number of positions possible pursuant to the proposed position and exercise limits, the equivalent shares represented by the proposed position/exercise limit would represent the following approximate percentage of current outstanding shares:
| Underlying Bitcoin Fund | Proposed Position/ exercise limit (in equivalent shares) | Outstanding shares | Percentage of outstanding shares |
|---|---|---|---|
| VanEck Bitcoin ETF | 2,500,000 | 49,900,000 | 5.01 |
As this table demonstrates, if a market participant held the maximum permissible options positions in VanEck Bitcoin ETF options and exercised all of them at the same time, that market participant would control a small percentage of the outstanding shares of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF.
zCboe [sic] Options Rule 8.30, Interpretation and Policy .02 (which governs position limits on the Exchange pursuant to Rule 18.7, provides two methods of qualifying for a position limit tier above 25,000 option contracts. The first method is based on six-month trading volume in the underlying security, and the second method is based on slightly lower six-month trading volume and number of shares outstanding in the underlying security. An underlying stock or ETF that qualifies for method two based on trading volume and number of shares outstanding would be required to have the minimum number of outstanding shares as shown in middle column of the table below.
The table, which provides the equivalent shares of the position limits applicable to equity options, including ETFs, further represents the percentages of the minimum number of outstanding shares that an underlying stock or ETF must have to qualify for that position limit (under the second method described above), all of which are higher than the percentages for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF. 23
Footnotes:
23 ?6,300,000 is the minimum number of outstanding shares an underlying security must have for the Exchange to continue to list options on that security, so this would be the smallest number of outstanding shares permissible for any corporate option that would have a position limit of 25,000 contract. See Rule 19.4(b)(1). This rule applies to corporate stock options but not ETF options, which currently have no requirement regarding outstanding shares of the underlying ETF for the Exchange to continue listing options on that ETF. Therefore, there may be ETF options trading for which the 25,000 contract position limits represents an even larger percentage of outstanding shares of the underlying ETF than set forth above.
| Position/exercise limit (in equivalent shares) | Minimum outstanding shares | Percentage of outstanding shares |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500,000 | *?6,300,000 | 40.0 |
| 5,000,000 | 40,000,000 | 12.5 |
| 7,500,000 | 120,000,000 | 6.3 |
| 20,000,000 | 240,000,000 | 8.3 |
| 25,000,000 | 300,000,000 | 8.3 |
| *?This is the minimum number of outstanding shares an underlying security must have for the Exchange to continue to list options on that security, so this would be the smallest number of outstanding shares permissible for any corporate option that would have a position limit of 25,000 contract. See Rule 4.4, Interpretation and Policy .01. This rule applies to corporate stock options but not ETF options, which currently have no requirement regarding outstanding shares of the underlying ETF for the Exchange to continue listing options on that ETF. Therefore, there may be ETF options trading for which the 25,000 contract position limits represents an even larger percentage of outstanding shares of the underlying ETF than set forth above. | ||
The equivalent shares represented by the proposed position and exercise limits for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF as a percentage of outstanding shares of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF is significantly lower than the percentage for the lowest possible position limit for equity options of 25,000 (under 6% compared to 40%) and is lower than that percentage for each current position limit bucket. 24
Footnotes:
24 ?As these percentages are based on the minimum number of outstanding shares an underlying security must have to qualify for the applicable position limit, these are the highest possible percentages that would apply to any option subject to that position and exercise limit.
Further, the proposed position and exercise limits for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF option are significantly below the limits that would otherwise apply pursuant to current Rules 18.7 and 18.9 (by reference to Cboe Rules 8.30 and 8.42). These position and exercise limits are the lowest position and exercise limits available in the options industry, are extremely conservative and more than appropriate given the market capitalization, average daily volume, and high number of outstanding shares of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF.
[top] All of the above information demonstrates that the proposed position and exercise limits for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF options are more than reasonable and appropriate. The trading volume, ADV, and outstanding shares of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF demonstrate that these funds are actively traded and
Today, the Exchange has an adequate surveillance program in place for options. Cboe intends to apply those same program procedures to options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF that it applies to the Exchange's other options products. 25 The Exchange's market surveillance staff would review activity in the underlying the VanEck Bitcoin ETF when conducting surveillances for market abuse or manipulation in the options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF. Additionally, the Exchange is a member of the Intermarket Surveillance Group ("ISG") under the Intermarket Surveillance Group Agreement. ISG members work together to coordinate surveillance and investigative information sharing in the stock, options, and futures markets. In addition to obtaining information from its affiliated markets, the Exchange would be able to obtain information regarding trading in shares of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF from their primary listing markets and from other markets that trades shares of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF through ISG. In addition, the Exchange has a Regulatory Services Agreement with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") for certain market surveillance, investigation and examinations functions. Pursuant to a multi-party 17d-2 joint plan, all options exchanges allocate amongst themselves and FINRA responsibilities to conduct certain options-related market surveillance that are common to rules of all options exchanges. 26
Footnotes:
25 ?The surveillance program includes surveillance patterns for price and volume movements as well as patterns for potential manipulation ( e.g., spoofing and marking the close).
26 ?Section 19(g)(1) of the Act, among other things, requires every self-regulatory organization ("SRO") registered as a national securities exchange or national securities association to comply with the Act, the rules and regulations thereunder, and the SRO's own rules, and, absent reasonable justification or excuse, enforce compliance by its members and persons associated with its members. See 15 U.S.C. 78q(d)(1) and 17 CFR 240.17d-2. Section 17(d)(1) of the Act allows the Commission to relieve an SRO of certain responsibilities with respect to members of the SRO who are also members of another SRO ("common members"). Specifically, Section 17(d)(1) allows the Commission to relieve an SRO of its responsibilities to: (i) receive regulatory reports from such members; (ii) examine such members for compliance with the Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, and the rules of the SRO; or (iii) carry out other specified regulatory responsibilities with respect to such members.
The underlying shares of spot bitcoin exchange-traded products ("ETPs"), including the VanEck Bitcoin ETF, are also subject to safeguards related to addressing market abuse and manipulation. As the Commission stated in its order approving proposals of several exchanges to list and trade shares of spot bitcoin-based ETPs, "[e]ach Exchange has a comprehensive surveillance-sharing agreement with the CME via their common membership in the Intermarket Surveillance Group. This facilitates the sharing of information that is available to the CME through its surveillance of its markets, including its surveillance of the CME bitcoin futures market. 27 The Exchange states that, given the consistently high correlation between the CME Bitcoin futures market and the spot bitcoin market, as confirmed by the Commission through robust correlation analysis, the Commission was able to conclude that such surveillance sharing agreements could reasonably be "expected to assist in surveilling for fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices in the specific context of the [Bitcoin ETPs]."? 28 In light of surveillance measures related to both options and futures as well as the underlying VanEck Bitcoin ETF, 29 the Exchange believes that existing surveillance procedures are designed to deter and detect possible manipulative behavior which might potentially arise from listing and trading the proposed options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF. Further, the Exchange will implement any new surveillance procedures it deems necessary to effectively monitor the trading of options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF.
Footnotes:
27 ? See Bitcoin ETP Approval Order.
28 ? See Bitcoin ETP Approval Order, 89 FR at 3010-11.
29 ? See Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 99290 (January 8, 2024), 89 FR 2338, 2343, 2347-2348 (January 12, 2024) (SR-CboeBZX-2023-044) Notice of Filing of Amendment No. 3 to a Proposed Rule Change to List and Trade Shares of the Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund Under BZX Rule 14.11(e)(4), Commodity-Based Trust Shares); and 99288 (January 8, 2024), 89 FR 2387, 2392, 2399-2400 (January 12, 2024) (SR-CboeBZX-2023-028) (Notice of Filing of Amendment No. 5 to a Proposed Rule Change To List and Trade Shares of the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF Under BZX Rule 14.11(e)(4), Commodity-Based Trust Shares). See also Securities Exchange Act Release No. 99306 (January 10, 2024), 89 FR 3008, 3009 (January 17, 2024) (SR-NYSEArca-2021-90; SR-NYSEArca-2023-44; SR-NYSEArca-2023-58; SR-NASDAQ-2023-016; SR-NASDAQ-2023-019; SR-CboeBZX-2023-028; SR-CboeBZX-2023-038; SR-CboeBZX-2023-040; SR-CboeBZX-2023-042; SR-CboeBZX-2023-044; and SR-CboeBZX-2023-072) (Order Granting Accelerated Approval of Proposed Rule Changes, as Modified by Amendments Thereto, to List and Trade Bitcoin-Based Commodity-Based Trust Shares and Trust Units) ("Bitcoin ETP Approval Order").
The Exchange has also analyzed its capacity and represents that it believes the Exchange and OPRA have the necessary systems capacity to handle the additional traffic associated with the listing of new series that may result from the introduction of options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF up to the number of expirations currently permissible under the Rules. Because the proposal is limited to one class, the Exchange believes any additional traffic that may be generated from the introduction of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF options will be manageable.
[top] The Exchange believes that offering options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF will benefit investors by providing them with an additional, relatively lower cost investing tool to gain exposure to the price of Bitcoin and hedging vehicle to meet their investment needs in connection with Bitcoin-related products and positions. The Exchange expects investors will transact in options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF in the unregulated over-the-counter ("OTC") options market, 30 but may prefer to trade such options in a listed environment to receive the benefits of trading listing options, including (1) enhanced efficiency in initiating and closing out positions; (2) increased market transparency; and (3) heightened contra-party creditworthiness due to the role of OCC as issuer and guarantor of all listed options. The Exchange believes that listing VanEck Bitcoin ETF options may cause investors to bring this liquidity to the Exchange, would increase market transparency and enhance the process of price discovery conducted on the Exchange through increased order flow. The Fund Shares that hold financial instruments, money market instruments, or precious metal commodities on which the Exchange may already list and trade options are trusts structured in substantially the same manner as the VanEck Bitcoin ETF and essentially offer the same objectives and benefits to investors, just with respect to different assets. The Exchange notes that it has not identified any issues with the continued listing and trading of any Fund Share options, including Fund Shares that hold commodities ( i.e., precious metals) that
Footnotes:
30 ?The Exchange understands from customers that investors have historically transacted in options on Fund Shares in the OTC options market if such options were not available for trading in a listed environment.
2. Statutory Basis
The Exchange believes the proposed rule change is consistent with the Act and the rules and regulations thereunder applicable to the Exchange and, in particular, the requirements of Section 6(b) of the Act. 31 Specifically, the Exchange believes the proposed rule change is consistent with the Section 6(b)(5)? 32 requirements that the rules of an exchange be designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices, to promote just and equitable principles of trade, to foster cooperation and coordination with persons engaged in regulating, clearing, settling, processing information with respect to, and facilitating transactions in securities, to remove impediments to and perfect the mechanism of a free and open market and a national market system, and, in general, to protect investors and the public interest. Additionally, the Exchange believes the proposed rule change is consistent with the Section 6(b)(5)? 33 requirement that the rules of an exchange not be designed to permit unfair discrimination between customers, issuers, brokers, or dealers.
Footnotes:
31 ?15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
32 ?15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
33 ? Id.
In particular, the Exchange believes that the proposal to list and trade options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF will remove impediments to and perfect the mechanism of a free and open market and a national market system and, in general, protect investors because offering options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF will provide investors with an opportunity to realize the benefits of utilizing options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF, including cost efficiencies and increased hedging strategies. The Exchange believes that offering VanEck Bitcoin ETF options will benefit investors by providing them with a relatively lower-cost risk management tool, which will allow them to manage their positions and associated risk in their portfolios more easily in connection with exposure to the price of Bitcoin and with Bitcoin-related products and positions. Additionally, the Exchange's offering of VanEck Bitcoin ETF options will provide investors with the ability to transact in such options in a listed market environment as opposed to in the unregulated OTC options market, which would increase market transparency and enhance the process of price discovery conducted on the Exchange through increased order flow to the benefit of all investors. The Exchange also notes that it already lists options on other commodity-based Fund Shares, 34 which, as described above, are trusts structured in substantially the same manner as the VanEck Bitcoin ETF and essentially offer the same objectives and benefits to investors, just with respect to a different commodity ( i.e., Bitcoin rather than precious metals) and for which the Exchange has not identified any issues with the continued listing and trading of commodity-backed Fund Share options it currently lists for trading.
Footnotes:
34 ? See Rule 19.3(i)(4).
The Exchange also believes the proposed rule change will remove impediments to and perfect the mechanism of a free and open market and a national market system, because it is consistent with current Exchange Rules previously filed with the Commission. Options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF satisfy the initial listing standards and continued listing standards currently in the Exchange Rules applicable to options on all Fund Shares, including Fund Shares that hold other commodities already deemed appropriate for options trading on the Exchange. Additionally, as demonstrated above, the VanEck Bitcoin ETF is characterized by a substantial number of shares that are widely held and actively traded. VanEck Bitcoin ETF options will trade in the same manner as any other Fund Share options-the same Exchange Rules that currently govern the listing and trading of all Fund Share options, including permissible expirations, strike prices and minimum increments, and applicable margin requirements, will govern the listing and trading of options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF in the same manner.
The Exchange believes the proposed position and exercise limits are designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices and promote just and equitable principles of trade, as they are designed to address potential manipulative schemes and adverse market impacts surrounding the use of options, such as disrupting the market in the security underlying the options. The proposed position and exercise limits are 25,000 contracts, which is the lowest limit applicable to any equity options (including ETF and options on other Bitcoin ETFs). 35 The Exchange believes the proposed position and exercise limits are extremely conservative for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF option given the trading volume and outstanding shares for each. The information above demonstrates that the average position and exercise limits of options on ETFs with comparable outstanding shares and trading volume to those of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF are significantly higher than the proposed position and exercise limits for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF options. Therefore, the proposed position and exercise limits for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF options are conservative relative to options on ETFs with comparable market characteristics.
Footnotes:
35 ? See Cboe Options Rule 8.30.
Further, given that the issuer of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF may create and redeem shares that represent an interest in Bitcoin, the Exchange believes it is relevant to compare the size of a position limit to the market capitalization of the Bitcoin market. As of March 5, 2025, the global supply of Bitcoin was 19,832,309, and the price of one Bitcoin was approximately $90,608.57, 36 which equates to a market capitalization of approximately $1.797 trillion. Consider the proposed position and exercise limit of 25,000 option contracts for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF option. A position and exercise limit of 25,000 same side contracts effectively restricts a market participant from holding positions that could result in the receipt of no more than 2,500,000 of VanEck Bitcoin ETF shares, as applicable (if that market participant exercised all of its options). The following table shows the share price of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF on March 5, 2025, the value of 2,500,000 shares of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF at that price, and the approximate percentage of that value of the size of the Bitcoin market:
Footnotes:
36 ? See Blockchain.com | Charts-Total Circulating Bitcoin.
| Bitcoin Fund | March 5, 2025 share price ($) | Value of 2,500,000 shares of Bitcoin Fund ($) | Percentage of bitcoin market |
|---|---|---|---|
| VanEck Bitcoin ETF | 25.60 | 64,000,000 | 0.0035 |
[top]
Therefore, if a market participant with the maximum 25,000 same side contracts in VanEck Bitcoin ETF options exercised all positions at one time, such an event would have no practical impact on the Bitcoin market.
The Exchange also believes the proposed limits are appropriate given position limits for Bitcoin futures. For example, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange ("CME") imposes a position limit of 2,000 futures (for the initial spot month) on its Bitcoin futures contract. 37 On March 5, 2025, CME Mar 25 Bitcoin Futures settled at $90,935. A position of 2,000 CME Bitcoin futures, therefore, would have a notional value of $909,350,000. The following table shows the share price of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF on March 5, 2025, and the approximate number of option contracts that equates to that notional value:
Footnotes:
37 ? See CME Rulebook Chapter 350 (description of CME Bitcoin Futures) and Chapter 5, Position Limit, Position Accountability and Reportable Level Table in the Interpretations & Special Notices. Each CME Bitcoin futures contract is valued at five Bitcoins as defined by the CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate ("BRR"). See CME Rule 35001.
| Bitcoin Fund | March 5, 2025 share price ($) | Number of option contracts |
|---|---|---|
| VanEck Bitcoin ETF | 25.60 | 355,214 |
The approximate number of option contracts for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF that equate to the notional value of CME Bitcoin futures is significantly higher than the proposed limit of 25,000 options contract for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF option. The fact that many options ultimately expire out-of-the-money and thus are not exercised for shares of the underlying, while the delta of a Bitcoin Future is 1, further demonstrates how conservative the proposed limits of 25,000 options contracts are for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF options.
The Exchange notes, unlike options contracts, CME position limits are calculated on a net futures-equivalent basis by contract and include contracts that aggregate into one or more base contracts according to an aggregation ratio(s). 38 Therefore, if a portfolio includes positions in options on futures, CME would aggregate those positions into the underlying futures contracts in accordance with a table published by CME on a delta equivalent value for the relevant spot month, subsequent spot month, single month and all month position limits. 39 If a position exceeds position limits because of an option assignment, CME permits market participants to liquidate the excess position within one business day without being considered in violation of its rules. Additionally, if at the close of trading, a position that includes options exceeds position limits for futures contracts, when evaluated using the delta factors as of that day's close of trading but does not exceed the limits when evaluated using the previous day's delta factors, then the position shall not constitute a position limit violation. Considering CME's position limits on futures for Bitcoin, the Exchange believes that that the proposed same side position limits are more than appropriate for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF options.
Footnotes:
38 ? See CME Rulebook Chapter 5, Position Limit, Position Accountability and Reportable Level Table in the Interpretations & Special Notices.
39 ? Id.
The Exchange believes the proposed position and exercise limits in this proposal will have no material impact to the supply of Bitcoin. For example, consider again the proposed position limit of 25,000 option contracts for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF option. As noted above, a position limit of 25,000 same side contracts effectively restricts a market participant from holding positions that could result in the receipt of no more than 2,500,000 shares of the applicable VanEck Bitcoin ETF (if that market participant exercised all its options). As of March 5, 2025, the VanEck Bitcoin ETF had the number of shares outstanding set forth in the table below. The table below also sets forth the approximate number of market participants that could hold the maximum of 25,000 same side positions in the VanEck Bitcoin ETF that would equate to the number of shares outstanding of the VanEck Bitcoin:
| Bitcoin Fund | Shares outstanding | Number of market participants with 25,000 same side positions |
|---|---|---|
| VanEck Bitcoin ETF | 49,900,000 | 20 |
This means if 20 market participants had 25,000 same side positions in VanEck Bitcoin ETF options, each of them would have to simultaneously exercise all of those options to create a scenario that may put the underlying security under stress. The Exchange believes it is highly unlikely for either such event to occur; however, even if either such event did occur, the Exchange would not expect the VanEck Bitcoin ETF to be under stress because such an event would merely induce the creation of more shares through the trust's creation and redemption process.
[top] As of March 5, 2025, the global supply of Bitcoin was approximately 19,832,309. 40 Based on the $25.60 price of VanEck Bitcoin ETF share on March 5, 2025, a market participant could have redeemed one Bitcoin for approximately 3,539 VanEck Bitcoin ETF shares. Another 70,194,417,201 VanEck Bitcoin ETF shares could be created before the supply of Bitcoin was exhausted. As a result, 28,078 market participants would have to simultaneously exercise 25,000 same side positions in VanEck Bitcoin ETF options to receive shares of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF holding the entire global supply of Bitcoin. Unlike the VanEck Bitcoin ETF, the number of shares that corporations may issue is limited. However, like corporations, which authorize additional shares, repurchase shares, or split their shares, the VanEck Bitcoin ETF may create, redeem, or split shares in response to demand. While the supply of Bitcoin is limited to 21,000,000, it is believed that it will take more than 100 years to fully
Footnotes:
40 ? See Blockchain.com | Charts-Total Circulating Bitcoin (which also shows the price of one Bitcoin equal to $90,608.57) .
41 ?The market capitalization of Bitcoin would rank in the top 10 among securities. See https://companiesmarketcap.com/usa/largest-companies-in-the-usa-by-market-cap/ .
42 ?This would be even more unlikely with respect to the VanEck Bitcoin ETF for which the Exchange proposes lower position limits.
The Exchange believes the available supply of Bitcoin is not relevant to the determination of position and exercise limits for options overlying the VanEck Bitcoin ETF. Position and exercise limits are not a tool that should be used to address a potential limited supply of the underlying of an underlying. Position and exercise limits do not limit the total number of options that may be held, but rather they limit the number of positions a single customer may hold or exercise at one time. 43 "Since the inception of standardized options trading, the options exchanges have had rules imposing limits on the aggregate number of options contracts that a member or customer could hold or exercise."? 44 Position and exercise limit rules are intended "to prevent the establishment of options positions that can be used or might create incentives to manipulate or disrupt the underlying market so as to benefit the options position. In particular, position and exercise limits are designed to minimize the potential for mini-manipulations and for corners or squeezes of the underlying market. In addition, such limits serve to reduce the possibility for disruption of the options market itself, especially in illiquid options classes."? 45
Footnotes:
43 ?For example, suppose an option has a position limit of 25,000 option contracts and there are a total of 10 investors trading that option. If all 10 investors max out their positions, that would result in 250,000 option contracts outstanding at that time. However, suppose 10 more investors decide to begin trading that option and also max out their positions. This would result in 500,000 option contracts outstanding at that time. An increase in the number of investors could cause an increase in outstanding options even if position limits remain unchanged.
44 ? See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 39489 (December 24, 1997), 63 FR 276 (January 5, 1998) (SR-CBOE-1997-11).
45 ? See id.
The Exchange notes that a Registration Statement on Form S-1 was filed with the Commission for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF, each of which described the supply of Bitcoin as being limited to 21,000,000 (of which approximately 90% had already been mined), and that the limit would be reached around the year 2140. 46 The Registration Statement permits an unlimited number of shares of the applicable the VanEck Bitcoin ETF to be created. Further, the Commission approved proposed rule changes that permitted the listing and trading of shares of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF, which approval did not comment on the sufficient supply of Bitcoin or address whether there was a risk that permitting an unlimited number of shares for the VanEck Bitcoin ETF would impact the supply of Bitcoin. 47 Therefore, the Exchange believes the Commission had ample time and opportunity to consider whether the supply of Bitcoin was sufficient to permit the creation of unlimited the VanEck Bitcoin ETF shares, and does not believe considering this supply with respect to the establishment of position and exercise limits is appropriate given its lack of relevance to the purpose of position and exercise limits. However, given the significant size of the Bitcoin supply, the proposed positions limits are more than sufficient to protect investors and the market.
Footnotes:
46 ? See Amendment No. 8 to Form S-1 Registration Statement No. 333-251808, filed January 9, 2024.
47 ? See Bitcoin ETF Approval Order.
Based on the above information demonstrating, among other things, that the VanEck Bitcoin ETF is characterized by a substantial number of outstanding shares that are actively traded and widely held, the Exchange believes the proposed position and exercise limits are extremely conservative compared to those of ETF options with similar market characteristics. The proposed position and exercise limits reasonably and appropriately balance the liquidity provisioning in the market against the prevention of manipulation. The Exchange believes these proposed limits are effectively designed to prevent an individual customer or entity from establishing options positions that could be used to manipulate the market of the underlying as well as the Bitcoin market. 48
Footnotes:
48 ? See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 39489 (December 24, 1997), 63 FR 276 (January 5, 1998) (SR-CBOE-1997-11).
The Exchange represents that it has the necessary systems capacity to support VanEck Bitcoin ETF options. As discussed above, the Exchange believes that its existing surveillance and reporting safeguards are designed to deter and detect possible manipulative behavior which might arise from listing and trading Unit options, including VanEck Bitcoin ETF options.
B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will impose any burden on intramarket competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Act as the VanEck Bitcoin ETF will be equally available to all market participants who wish to trade such options and will trade generally in the same manner as other options. The Exchange Rules that currently apply to the listing and trading of all Unit options on the Exchange, including, for example, Rules that govern listing criteria, expirations, exercise prices, minimum increments, margin requirements, customer accounts, and trading halt procedures will apply to the listing and trading of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF options on the Exchange in the same manner as they apply to other options on all other Units that are listed and traded on the Exchange. Also, and as stated above, the Exchange already lists options on other commodity-based Fund Share. 49 Further, the VanEck Bitcoin ETF would need to satisfy the maintenance listing standards set forth in the Exchange Rules in the same manner as any other Unit for the Exchange to continue listing options on them.
Footnotes:
49 ? See Rule 19.3(i)(4).
The Exchange does not believe that the proposal to list and trade options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF will impose any burden on intermarket competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. To the extent that the advent of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF options trading on the Exchange may make the Exchange a more attractive marketplace to market participants at other exchanges, such market participants are free to elect to become market participants on the Exchange. Additionally, other options exchanges are free to amend their listing rules, as applicable, to permit them to list and trade options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF. The Exchange notes that listing and trading VanEck Bitcoin ETF options on the Exchange will subject such options to transparent exchange-based rules as well as price discovery and liquidity, as opposed to alternatively trading such options in the OTC market.
[top] The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change may relieve any
C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others
The Exchange neither solicited nor received written comments on the proposed rule change.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for Commission Action
The Exchange has filed the proposed rule change pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A)(iii) of the Act? 50 and Rule 19b-4(f)(6) thereunder. 51 Because the foregoing proposed rule change does not: (i) significantly affect the protection of investors or the public interest; (ii) impose any significant burden on competition; and (iii) become operative for 30 days from the date on which it was filed, or such shorter time as the Commission may designate, it has become effective pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A)(iii) of the Act? 52 and subparagraph (f)(6) of Rule 19b-4 thereunder. 53
Footnotes:
50 ?15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(iii).
51 ?17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
52 ?15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(iii).
53 ?17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6). In addition, Rule 19b-4(f)(6) requires a self-regulatory organization to give the Commission written notice of its intent to file the proposed rule change at least five business days prior to the date of filing of the proposed rule change, or such shorter time as designated by the Commission. The Exchange has satisfied the pre-filing requirement.
A proposed rule change filed under Rule 19b-4(f)(6)? 54 under the Act does not normally become operative prior to 30 days after the date of the filing. However, pursuant to Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii), 55 the Commission may designate a shorter time if such action is consistent with the protection of investors and the public interest. The Exchange has requested that the Commission waive the 30-day operative delay so that the proposal may become operative immediately upon filing. The Commission previously approved the listing and trading of options on the VanEck Bitcoin Trust. 56 The Exchange has provided information regarding the underlying VanEck Bitcoin ETF, including, among other things, information regarding trading volume, the number of beneficial holders, and the average daily trading volume of the VanEck Bitcoin ETF. The proposal also applies the position and exercise limits pursuant to Rules 18.7 and 18.9 for options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF and provides information regarding the surveillance procedures that will apply to options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF. The Commission believes that waiver of the operative delay could benefit investors by providing an additional venue for trading options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF. Therefore, the Commission believes that waiver of the 30-day operative delay is consistent with the protection of investors and the public interest. Accordingly, the Commission hereby waives the 30-day operative delay and designates the proposed rule change as operative upon filing. 57
Footnotes:
54 ?17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
55 ?17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6)(iii).
56 ? See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 103569 (July 29, 2025) (Order Granting Accelerated Approval of a Proposed Rule Change, as Modified by Amendment No. 4, to Amend Rules 4.3, 4.20, and 8.30, to Allow the Exchange to List and Trade Options on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF) (SR-CBOE-2025-017).
57 ?For purposes only of waiving the 30-day operative delay, the Commission has also considered the proposed rule's impact on efficiency, competition, and capital formation. See 15 U.S.C. 78c(f).
At any time within 60 days of the filing of the proposed rule change, the Commission summarily may temporarily suspend such rule change if it appears to the Commission that such action is necessary or appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. If the Commission takes such action, the Commission shall institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule should be approved or disapproved.
IV. Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:
Electronic Comments
• Use the Commission's internet comment form ( https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml ); or
• Send an email to rule-comments@sec.gov. Please include file number SR-CboeBZX-2025-111 on the subject line.
Paper Comments
• Send paper comments in triplicate to Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549-1090.
All submissions should refer to file number SR-CboeBZX-2025-111. This file number should be included on the subject line if email is used. To help the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently, please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on the Commission's internet website ( https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml ). Copies of the filing will be available for inspection and copying at the principal office of the Exchange. Do not include personal identifiable information in submissions; you should submit only information that you wish to make available publicly. We may redact in part or withhold entirely from publication submitted material that is obscene or subject to copyright protection. All submissions should refer to file number SR-CboeBZX-2025-111 and should be submitted on or before September 2, 2025.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority. 58
Footnotes:
58 ?17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12), (59).
Sherry R. Haywood,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025-15256 Filed 8-11-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P