Bitcoin has hit a number of all-time highs in 2025, and the Trump administration is prioritizing rules that open up the crypto world to more investment, including creating the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. So it’s no surprise that traders have been actively pushing up crypto prices on the positive shift in sentiment. But how do investors without crypto accounts — or those who are wary of dodgy cryptocurrency exchanges — get a piece of the cryptocurrency market?

Simple. Crypto ETFs give anyone with a traditional brokerage account the ability to get exposure to the most popular cryptocurrencies — and more ETFs are on the way to the market.

What kind of crypto ETFs are available?

If you’re looking to trade crypto through ETFs, it’s vital to know exactly what’s under the hood of the ETF, and that may not always be obvious by the fund’s name. Broadly, traders have several types of crypto funds, depending on what they own.

• Direct ownership of cryptocurrencies: These ETFs — called spot ETFs — own cryptocurrencies, meaning their shares represent real stakes in the cryptocurrency. These funds closely track the price moves of their cryptocurrency. These funds tend to have relatively low management expenses (i.e. low expense ratios).
• Indirect exposure to cryptocurrencies: These ETFs use financial derivatives such as futures contracts, to mimic the cryptocurrency’s performance. These funds may move in the direction of the cryptocurrency but often don’t closely track the crypto’s moves. These funds tend to have higher fees, because of the costs of trading. Some funds may try to double the performance of Bitcoin using derivatives, though at greater risk and cost.
• Options strategies with cryptocurrencies: Some newer funds may own spot ETFs and use options to generate income from the highly volatile asset, and then pay out that income as dividends to shareholders. These funds also have higher fees.
• Direct ownership of crypto- or blockchain-related stocks: Some crypto ETFs may invest in stocks of companies that profit on blockchain or other crypto-related companies. This ETF will track the fund’s stocks and not really the performance of a cryptocurrency. These funds may have lower expense ratios, but you’ll need to check each fund’s fees.

While ETFs owning Bitcoin, the most popular cryptocurrency, had existed for a few years before 2024, that year saw a big development as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved trading in spot Bitcoin ETFs in January and then spot Ethereum ETFs later on.

These spot ETFs allow investors to earn virtually the same return as the underlying crypto coin, since they own the cryptocurrency directly. So they’re a great pick if you want to invest in these top crypto assets without having to open an account at a crypto exchange and deal with the headaches of handling the coins yourself. The fund company safeguards the crypto, and since ETFs are listed on the exchange, you can work with any of the best online brokers to buy them.

For now, only Bitcoin and Ethereum are approved for spot ETFs, but that could change soon, as the crypto-friendly administration of President Donald Trump eases regulations on the sector. Already, dozens of applications for other crypto ETFs have been submitted, and funds for two of the most popular cryptocurrencies — Solana and Avalanche — are among the applicants. So investors may soon have a low-cost way to wager on the prices of many more cryptocurrencies.

7 top cryptocurrency funds

Below are some top cryptocurrency funds, including what the funds own, how much they charge (as a percentage of your investment) and how they may perform. The funds all feature low expense ratios.

The expense ratios for the Bitcoin and Ethereum funds are low, particularly given the relatively high costs of trading cryptocurrency directly, even at some of the best crypto apps and exchanges. A $10,000 investment in the iShares Bitcoin Trust, the largest spot Bitcoin fund by assets, costs $25 per year, and you pay a proportional share of that each day you own the fund.

As you can see in the table, the first three funds are all spot Bitcoin ETFs, so they own the crypto directly and the fund performs almost exactly like the cryptocurrency itself. Similarly, the Ethereum funds here are all spot funds, so they closely track the price of Ethereum. So they’re a good substitute for trading these cryptocurrencies on your own through an exchange.

Here are more of the best Bitcoin ETFs and best Ethereum ETFs.

The final fund invests in blockchain and related crypto and infrastructure companies such as crypto exchange Coinbase and Strategy, a company that invests in Bitcoin directly through an elaborate process that could significantly magnify the returns, albeit at much greater risk. Returns at this crypto fund will reflect the weighted average performance of the fund’s stocks, and it won’t track any cryptocurrency directly, though it may rise and fall with the crypto market.

Bottom line

Traders looking to buy a crypto ETF should know exactly what the fund owns so they can get the type of exposure and investment that they actually want. Each fund must report exactly how it’s investing its money, so a quick search for the fund will tell you its specific strategy and what kinds of assets it owns — actual cryptocurrency, spot ETFs, futures contracts or stocks.

Editorial Disclaimer: All investors are advised to conduct their own independent research into investment strategies before making an investment decision. In addition, investors are advised that past investment product performance is no guarantee of future price appreciation.