The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is requesting public comment regarding the Chicago Board Option Exchange’s (CBOE) proposed changes to existing exchange-traded fund (ETF) regulation.

CBOE has recently released two documents which outline the exchange’s intentions to list four ETFs under new regulations. These proposed regulations have been designed to ensure that any listed cryptocurrencies are exempt from a number of existing ETF rules. It\'s a bid to minimise the risk of manipulation which has the potential to impact blockchain technologies on a global scale.

Listing cryptocurrencies as ETFs is currently something of a controversial topic, with a notable difference of opinion between exchanges and the SEC. To date, the SEC has rejected numerous applications to list bitcoin as an ETF, although this request for public comment signals the beginning of an ETF shift.

It is understood that the SEC are more open to approving such filings as a result of three exchanges – CBOE, CME, and Nasdaq – all reporting that they have listed, or will begin to list cryptocurrencies as futures. With futures frequently a precursor to ETFs, it is anticipated that the SEC will allow such rule changes.

Written comment can be provided to the SEC via email or letter.