Solana ETF Negotiations with SEC are “Progressing”, Approval Within Reach

The SEC is quietly meeting with several issuers to discuss approving a Solana ETF, claims Fox Business reporter Eleanor Terrett. With Trump’s impending pro-crypto administration, the SEC seems more inclined to approve such a product.

However, anti-crypto figure Gary Gensler is still nominally in charge of the SEC, and public progress might not begin until 2025.

Solana ETF Approval Is Getting Closer

According to a scoop from Fox Business reporter Eleanor Terrett, the SEC and several ETF issuers are in talks to approve a Solana ETF. Currently, Brazil is the only country that has given this product a green light. As recently as September, Polymarket odds gave the SEC a dismal 3% chance of approving it. This reluctance, however, might soon be changing:

“Talks between SEC staff and issuers looking to launch a Solana spot ETF are “progressing” with the SEC now engaging on S-1 applications. Recent engagement from staff, coupled with the incoming pro-crypto administration, is sparking a renewed sense of optimism that a Solana ETF could be approved sometime in 2025,” Terrett claimed.

Terrett was very clear about the impetus for this progress in negotiations: Donald Trump’s re-election. On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to significantly reform US crypto policy, and one cornerstone was firing anti-crypto SEC Chair Gary Gensler. Gensler has apparently conceded to his impending ouster, and his replacement will undoubtedly support the industry.

Previous attempts have floundered at an early step in the process. Once the SEC officially acknowledges an application, it must confirm or deny it within a 240-day window. Previous filings have lingered in limbo at this stage. However, the list of candidates is now growing: Canary Capital filed for a Solana ETF in October, and BitWise did the same earlier today.

Timeline of Solana ETF Applications, with Previous Frozen Attempts. Source: Eric Balchunas

Nonetheless, these positive negotiations still only consist of anonymous rumors. The Commission has not publicly moved to begin this process, and Gensler is still nominally in charge. Terrett posits that the SEC will only make serious progress on the Solana ETF at the start of 2025. Compared to previous pessimism, however, this is a complete sea change.