Editors note (4/3/2018):
The original version of this article two errors. It implied that the product traded at 10% spreads, which is incorrect. While the product trades at a 52 week premium of 10%, its spreads are roughly 29 basis points. It also stated that the product was "one for the short sellers". But under NASDAQ Stockholm rules the product cannot be short sold. We regret the errors.
Today's new ETP listings from around the world
UK
Bitcoin ETN cross-listed in London
The world's biggest bitcoin ETN, the Bitcoin Tracker EUR (O2XI), is getting cross-listed onto the London Stock Exchange having first listed in Sweden. The product tracks the price of bitcoin in euros and is provided by XBT Providers.
O2XI's English-language prospectus says that the note is structured as a "non-equity linked certificate which synthetically track the performance of the price of Bitcoin or Ethereum respectively less a fee component."
Whereas for most ETFs, synthetic means using swaps provided by a giant investment bank, in this case "there [is] no collateral or other assets against which Holders can make any claims." Synthetic ETFs almost always have collateral.
The guarantor of these certificates is a Jersey-based company called Global Advisors, which majority-owns the issuer XBT. It is interesting that this company, based in Jersey and with a mostly Anglo-American C-suite, chose to list first in Sweden. Maybe the Swedes are more open to this type of product.
Analysis
Bitcoin products have the great merit of being interesting. Bitcoin was the hottest topic in 2017, but for all the headlines institutional investors had a hard time accessing it directly. Institutional investors typically need bank custodians, and while there are bitcoin wallets, these types of custodial services are not good enough for institutional investors, who manage other peoples' money.
Enter Bitcoin Tracker EUR, which now has more than 180m euros under management. Although it had no bank custodian as such, the product at least had an ISIN - something institutional investors can work with. But investors considering this type of product should exercise caution. ETNs are not ETFs - as the recent VIX crisis did well to remind everyone. And if ETNs issued by a giant like Credit Suisse can fail, then where does that leave an ETN backed by a boutique company in Jersey?
There are other items worth noting. For one, the product charges 2.5% in management fees - which are very high for an ETP. For two, it has the Pacific Ocean of spreads: with a 52-week premium of almost -10%. Trading cryptos tends to come with higher transactions costs, but these premiums and management fees ought to be kept in mind. The KID for this product warns that it is intended for "speculative investors [who] accept the risk of losing some or all of their investment."
