This week, Bitwise Asset Management, a premier cryptocurrency fund manager, announced plans to launch a new product.

In its filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Bitwise confirmed plans to launch a Crypto Innovators Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF).

The filing explained that the new product would track performances of projects on the Bitwise Crypto Innovators Index. Bitwise describes “Crypto Innovators” firms with services and transactions in blockchain and crypto-facing sectors. These companies include asset custodians, digital trading services, wallet providers, and others.

The Bitwise Crypto Innovators Index will include firms that derive over 75 percent of their revenues from the crypto sector. Eligible companies are required to hold at least 75 percent of their net assets in cryptocurrencies. Bitwise is also looking into large-cap firms that have “dedicated business initiatives” focused on cryptocurrencies.

It is worth noting that Bitwise’s proposed ETF won’t invest in any cryptocurrencies or crypto-based derivatives firms. The company will also not participate in any Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs).

Bitwise has seen tremendous growth in its core business recently. Thanks to investors’ focus on cryptocurrencies, the firm has seen significant growth in its business. Earlier this year, the company's assets under management (AUM) surpassed $500 million – a considerable increase from the $100 million in AUM that it held in October 2020.

In a press release, the investment firm explained that most of its new demand came in the fourth quarter of 2020 – a quarter where it surpassed inflows for 2018 and 2019 combined. Most of its new demand came from large investment houses – including hedge funds, financial advisers, family offices, and other institutions.

Bitwise’s most popular product remains its 10 Crypto Index Fund, which provides exposure to the ten largest digital assets by market cap. As the press release showed, the fund drew in $400 million from investors, with the Bitcoin and Ether-focused funds seeing exceptionally high demand. Now that it is launching a new fund, the company hopes to increase its business ventures beyond just cryptocurrencies themselves.

While Bitwise continues to grow in the institutional market, one company that’s in hot demand right now is Grayscale Investments. The New York firm is the industry’s largest asset management firm, and it is making significant expansion plays. It recently filed with the Delaware corporate registry to launch several investment trusts focused on the decentralized finance (DeFi) space.

According to its filing, Grayscale hopes to launch funds targeting top DeFi tokens, including DOT, AAVE, and ATOM. The company is looking to capitalize on the growing DeFi space, which has seen over $20 billion in new assets locked this year alone.

Grayscale is also looking to open investment trusts in top-performing altcoins ADA and XMR, allowing it to expand its current count. The company, which has over $25 billion in AUM, has also seen significant growth in its business as institutions tend to choose it as their go-to source for crypto exposure.

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