Notice2025-09969

Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Order Instituting Proceedings To Determine Whether To Approve or Disapprove a Proposed Rule Change To Amend the Grayscale Ethereum Trust ETF and Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust ETF To Permit Staking of the Ether Held by the Trusts

Primary source

Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.

Published
June 3, 2025

Issuing agencies

Securities and Exchange Commission

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 105 (Tuesday, June 3, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 3, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23590-23591]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-09969]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-103137; File No. SR-NYSEARCA-2025-13]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Order Instituting 
Proceedings To Determine Whether To Approve or Disapprove a Proposed 
Rule Change To Amend the Grayscale Ethereum Trust ETF and Grayscale 
Ethereum Mini Trust ETF To Permit Staking of the Ether Held by the 
Trusts

May 28, 2025.

I. Introduction

    On February 14, 2025, NYSE Arca, Inc. (``NYSE Arca'' or 
``Exchange'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission 
(``Commission''), pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities 
Exchange Act of 1934 (``Act'') \1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ a 
proposed rule change to amend the rules governing the listing and 
trading of shares (``Shares'') of the Grayscale Ethereum Trust ETF 
(``Original Trust'') and the Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust ETF (``Mini 
Trust'' and, together with the Original Trust, the ``Trusts'') under 
NYSE Arca Rule 8.201-E. The proposed rule change was published for 
comment in the Federal Register on March 3, 2025.\3\
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
    \2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
    \3\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 102485 (Feb. 25, 
2025), 90 FR 11081 (``Notice''). Comments received on the proposed 
rule change are available at: <a href="https://www.sec.gov/comments/sr-nysearca-2025-13/srnysearca202513.htm">https://www.sec.gov/comments/sr-nysearca-2025-13/srnysearca202513.htm</a>.
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    On April 14, 2025, pursuant to Section 19(b)(2) of the Act,\4\ the 
Commission designated a longer period within which to approve the 
proposed rule change, disapprove the proposed rule change, or institute 
proceedings to determine whether to disapprove the proposed rule 
change.\5\ This order institutes proceedings under Section 19(b)(2)(B) 
of the Act \6\ to determine whether to approve or disapprove the 
proposed rule change.
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    \4\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2).
    \5\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 102855, 90 FR 16582 
(Apr. 18, 2025). The Commission designated June 1, 2025, as the date 
by which the Commission shall approve or disapprove, or institute 
proceedings to determine whether to disapprove, the proposed rule 
change.
    \6\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2)(B).
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II. Summary of the Proposal

    As described in more detail in the Notice,\7\ the Exchange proposes 
to amend the rules governing the listing and trading of the Shares of 
the Trusts under NYSE Arca Rule 8.201-E.\8\ Specifically, the Exchange 
proposes to amend certain representations regarding the Trusts in order 
to permit staking of the ether held by the Trusts. According to the 
Exchange, except for these proposed amendments, all other 
representations relied upon by the Commission in approving the listing 
and trading of the Shares of the Trusts will remain unchanged and will 
continue to constitute continued listing requirements.
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    \7\ See Notice, supra note 3.
    \8\ NYSE Arca Rule 8.201-E governs the listing and trading of 
Commodity-Based Trust Shares. The Commission approved the Exchange's 
proposal to list and trade the Shares of the Original Trust on May 
23, 2024. See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 100224 (May 23, 
2024), 89 FR 46937 (May 30, 2024). Separately, the Commission 
approved the Exchange's proposal to list and trade the Shares of the 
Mini Trust on July 17, 2024. See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 
100541 (July 17, 2024), 89 FR 59786 (July 23, 2024).
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III. Proceedings To Determine Whether To Approve or Disapprove SR-
NYSEARCA-2025-13 and Grounds for Disapproval Under Consideration

    The Commission is instituting proceedings pursuant to Section 
19(b)(2)(B) of the Act \9\ to determine whether the proposed rule 
change should be approved or disapproved.

[[Page 23591]]

Institution of proceedings is appropriate at this time in view of the 
legal and policy issues raised by the proposed rule change. Institution 
of proceedings does not indicate that the Commission has reached any 
conclusions with respect to any of the issues involved. Rather, the 
Commission seeks and encourages interested persons to provide comments 
on the proposed rule change.
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    \9\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2)(B).
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    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(2)(B) of the Act,\10\ the Commission is 
providing notice of the grounds for disapproval under consideration. As 
described above, the Exchange proposes to allow staking of the Trusts' 
ether. The Commission is instituting proceedings to allow for 
additional analysis of the proposed rule change's consistency with 
Section 6(b)(5) of the Act, which requires, among other things, that 
the rules of a national securities exchange be designed to prevent 
fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices, to promote just and 
equitable principles of trade, 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.\11\
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    \10\ Id.
    \11\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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IV. Procedure: Request for Written Comments

    The Commission requests that interested persons provide written 
submissions of their views, data, and arguments with respect to the 
issues identified above, as well as any other concerns they may have 
with the proposal. In particular, the Commission invites the written 
views of interested persons concerning whether the proposal is 
consistent with Section 6(b)(5) or any other provision of the Act, and 
the rules and regulations thereunder. Although there do not appear to 
be any issues relevant to approval or disapproval that would be 
facilitated by an oral presentation of views, data, and arguments, the 
Commission will consider, pursuant to Rule 19b-4, any request for an 
opportunity to make an oral presentation.\12\
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    \12\ Section 19(b)(2) of the Act, as amended by the Securities 
Acts Amendments of 1975, Public Law 94-29 (June 4, 1975), grants the 
Commission flexibility to determine what type of proceeding--either 
oral or notice and opportunity for written comments--is appropriate 
for consideration of a particular proposal by a self-regulatory 
organization. See Securities Acts Amendments of 1975, Senate Comm. 
on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs, S. Rep. No. 75, 94th Cong., 1st 
Sess. 30 (1975).
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    Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and 
arguments regarding whether the proposed rule change should be approved 
or disapproved by June 24, 2025. Any person who wishes to file a 
rebuttal to any other person's submission must file that rebuttal by 
July 8, 2025.
    Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:

Electronic Comments

    <bullet> Use the Commission's internet comment form (<a href="https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml">https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml</a>); or
    <bullet> Send an email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c6b4b3aaa3eba5a9ababa3a8b2b586b5a3a5e8a1a9b0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e694938a83cb85898b8b83889295a6958385c8818990">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. Please include 
file number SR-NYSEARCA-2025-13 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

    <bullet> 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-NYSEARCA-2025-13. 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 (<a href="https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml">https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml</a>). Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all 
written statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are 
filed with the Commission, and all written communications relating to 
the proposed rule change between the Commission and any person, other 
than those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the 
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for website viewing and 
printing in the Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street NE, 
Washington, DC 20549, on official business days between the hours of 10 
a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of the filing also 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-NYSEARCA-2025-13 and should 
be submitted on or before June 24, 2025. Rebuttal comments should be 
submitted by July 8, 2025.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\13\
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    \13\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(57).
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Sherry R. Haywood,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025-09969 Filed 6-2-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P


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