XRP News Today: Altcoin ETF Applications Surge 100% in 2025 Amid US Regulatory Optimism

Regulatory optimism in the US has led to at least 31 altcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications to the US Securities and Exchange Commission in the first half of 2025. The SEC has approved futures and spot ETFs for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH), but past attempts to list altcoin-related instruments have withered on the vine. Now, renewed optimism after the 2024 elections has led to several new applications that are expected to be approved.

The list includes filings from familiar names such as VanEck, which applied to list ETFs in BNB (BNB) and Avalanche (AVAX). WisdomTree and Franklin Templeton both have XRP (XRP) ETFs pending. Memecoins are also represented, with REX-Osprey applying to list an ETF of US President Donald Trump’s token.

ETF and crypto analysts are optimistic that at least 10 applications will pass muster with the SEC, which has onlookers hyped about an “altcoin summer.”

Spot Bitcoin ETFs were first approved in the US in January 2024. Months later, in July, spot Ether ETFs followed. This nod was seen as a pivotal moment for the adoption of cryptocurrencies, as it gave institutional investors exposure to the market through a financial instrument they were already comfortable with: an ETF. Now, altcoins (any crypto that isn’t Ether or Bitcoin) may be getting their shot at institutional adoption.

As shown by Cointelegraph Research, there have been at least 31 spot altcoin ETF filings in 2025. Among the applications, ETFs containing Ripple’s payments-focused crypto, XRP, and the seminal memecoin Dogecoin (DOGE) appear most prominently. According to the analyst's forecast, a “potential Alt Coin summer” is on the way, with a Litecoin (LTC) ETF likely to be the first approved — although Solana (SOL) could be close behind.

“Commission staff continues to have unresolved questions about whether the Funds, if structured and operated as proposed, would be able to meet the definition of ‘investment company’ under the Investment Company Act,” the SEC stated. Still, analysts showed further cause for optimism after the SEC reportedly asked would-be Solana ETF issuers to update and clarify filing language regarding in-kind redemptions and staking. This supposedly shows that the SEC is open to staking — a key component of many altcoin ecosystems.

ETF approval does not guarantee prices going to the moon. Nearly a year after approval, ETH’s price has not seen the same meteoric price action as its counterpart, Bitcoin. Last month witnessed positive inflows and not a single day of net outflows to ETH ETFs, but critics and observers are concerned about relatively low network fees and the Ethereum network losing ground on decentralized exchanges. Demand for altcoin ETFs may be even less than for ETH ETFs, as analysts stated, “Nothing will compare to bitcoin. We have a little saying on the team: ‘The further away you get from btc, the less assets there will be.’”

Dreams for an “altcoin summer” may further dampen as altcoins’ dominance wanes. Crypto market observer wrote in February about decreasing altcoin dominance but noted that “the decline was quicker and more severe” than previous cycles. Two independent “altcoin season indexes” show the indicator firmly in “Bitcoin season.” Still, others see an opportunity. Analyst wrote on June 1 that the altcoin market hasn’t even begun: “The biggest bull market ever on crypto is about to happen, as the expansion after such a long bear market is going to be bigger than before.”

On April 10, the SEC got its new chairman, businessman, following a lengthy confirmation process in the Senate. His priorities were to reverse the actions of his predecessor, whom the crypto industry accused of stifling its potential. His SEC has wasted no time reversing a number of policies and implementing new, crypto-friendly rules. On June 12, the SEC announced that it would be “withdrawing certain notices of proposed rulemaking” made under his predecessor. Among them was a rule that expanded the definition of the term “exchange” to include DeFi protocols. It also axed a rule that required investment firms to hold client assets with a “qualified custodian,” a definition from which crypto exchanges and wallet providers were typically excluded. He has also directed staff to work on a so-called “innovation exemption.” This new exclusion for certain crypto- and blockchain-related financial products would supposedly allow new onchain products to come to market more quickly. His new approach of “notice and comment” rather than “regulation by enforcement” has been lauded not just by the crypto industry but by fellow regulator, acting chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. With regulatory restructuring just getting started — be it from new laws to agency shakeups — the crypto industry is optimistic for future growth in the US. ETFs may be set to take off in this changing landscape.