21Shares launches first Polkadot ETF as altcoin investment products expand

ambcryptoPubblicato 2026-03-05Pubblicato ultima volta 2026-03-05

Introduzione

21Shares is launching the first U.S. exchange-traded fund (ETF) tracking Polkadot, named TDOT, set to begin trading on March 6. This marks a significant expansion of regulated crypto investment products beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum. The ETF will hold DOT tokens directly and use a pricing benchmark from major trading venues. Structured as a grantor trust, it may also stake a portion of its holdings to earn rewards. This move reflects growing institutional demand for diversified crypto exposure through familiar regulated structures, as asset managers explore ETFs for other major cryptocurrencies like Solana and Chainlink.

Crypto asset manager 21Shares is set to launch the first U.S. exchange-traded fund tracking Polkadot. It marks the latest step in the expansion of regulated investment products tied to major altcoins.

The fund, trading under the ticker TDOT, is scheduled to begin trading on 6 March. The product will allow investors to gain exposure to Polkadot’s price without directly purchasing or holding the token.

Altcoin ETFs move beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum

The launch comes as crypto investment products increasingly move beyond early Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, which helped open the U.S. market to institutional digital-asset exposure.

Asset managers are now exploring exchange-traded funds linked to other major cryptocurrencies. They include Solana, XRP, Dogecoin, and Chainlink, reflecting growing demand for diversified crypto investment products.

For issuers, these products offer institutional investors a way to access digital assets through familiar regulated market structures.

Polkadot ETF structure mirrors existing crypto funds

According to the fund’s prospectus, the ETF will hold DOT tokens directly and track their market value using a pricing benchmark that aggregates data from major trading venues.

Shares are expected to list on Nasdaq and will be structured as a grantor trust, the same framework used by spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs in the United States.

The filing also indicates the trust may stake a portion of its DOT holdings to earn network rewards, potentially allowing the fund to capture staking yield alongside price exposure.

Institutional access continues to broaden

The launch underscores how exchange-traded funds have become one of the primary channels for institutional investors to access digital assets.

Since the approval of spot crypto ETFs in the United States, asset managers have raced to introduce new products that track different blockchain networks and crypto ecosystems.

For 21Shares, TDOT represents another step in building a broader lineup of crypto investment vehicles as competition intensifies among issuers seeking to expand beyond the largest digital assets.

Final Summary

21Shares is launching TDOT, the first U.S. ETF designed to track the price of Polkadot.
The product reflects a broader shift as crypto ETFs expand beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum into exposure to altcoins.

Domande pertinenti

QWhat is the name and ticker symbol of the first U.S. Polkadot ETF launched by 21Shares?

AThe ETF is named TDOT, trading under the ticker symbol TDOT.

QWhen is the TDOT ETF scheduled to begin trading?

AThe TDOT ETF is scheduled to begin trading on March 6.

QHow does the structure of the Polkadot ETF compare to existing crypto funds?

AThe Polkadot ETF will be structured as a grantor trust, the same framework used by spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs in the United States.

QBesides price exposure, what additional feature might the Polkadot ETF offer to investors?

AThe trust may stake a portion of its DOT holdings to earn network rewards, potentially allowing the fund to capture staking yield.

QWhat does the launch of the Polkadot ETF signify about the broader trend in crypto investment products?

AIt signifies a broader shift as crypto ETFs expand beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum to offer exposure to other major altcoins like Solana, XRP, Dogecoin, and Chainlink.

Letture associate

List of Most Popular Altcoins by Recent Hourly Searches Published!

Cryptocurrency data platform CoinGecko released a list of the most popular altcoins based on user searches over the last three hours. Pudgy Penguins ($PENGU) leads the trending list, followed by Catecoin (CATE) and Bless ($BLESS) in the top three. According to CoinGecko, $PENGU's price increased by 3.9% in the last 24 hours. CATE, ranked second, surged 126.2% over the same period, while $BLESS saw a 24-hour gain of 86.1%. What IF (IF) also stands out with a 41.9% daily increase. The list of most searched cryptocurrencies and their total market capitalization over the past three hours is as follows: 1. Pudgy Penguins ($PENGU) – $389.13 million 2. Catecoin (CATE) – $19.62 million 3. Bless ($BLESS) – $32.72 million 4. Aerodrome Finance (AERO) – $385.03 million 5. Hyperliquid (HYPE) – $11.43 billion 6. Ethereum (ETH) – $224.17 billion 7. Chainlink (LINK) – $6.17 billion 8. Aave (AAVE) – $1.42 billion 9. What IF (IF) – $31.24 million 10. Polkadot (DOT) – $1.34 billion 11. Bitcoin (BTC) – $1.27 trillion 12. Virtual Protocol (VIRTUAL) – $366.19 million 13. Algorand (ALGO) – $758.15 million 14. Cash Cat (CASHCAT) – $41.81 million 15. Solana (SOL) – $42.38 billion *This is not investment advice.

cryptonews.ru53 min fa

List of Most Popular Altcoins by Recent Hourly Searches Published!

cryptonews.ru53 min fa

For $100,000 a Month: Truth Social Sells Access to Trump's Posts to Investment Firms

In August 2026, Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) launched Truth API, a paid data service offering real-time access to posts from influential Truth Social accounts, including Donald Trump's, for institutional and algorithmic trading firms. Subscriptions reportedly cost up to $100,000 monthly, with discounts for long-term contracts. TMTG's CEO framed it as a strategy to monetize platform assets and create shareholder value. The move drew criticism from lawmakers, including Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff, who called for an SEC investigation, and Republican Bill Cassidy, who criticized the "sale" of privileged access. An AI analysis notes this creates a market risk architecture similar to past incidents where algorithms rapidly traded on unverified social media posts, raising questions about accountability for potential misinformation or manipulation.

cryptonews.ru1 h fa

For $100,000 a Month: Truth Social Sells Access to Trump's Posts to Investment Firms

cryptonews.ru1 h fa

Strategy leaves preferred STRC dividend at 12% as price still below par

Strategy's preferred STRC shares remain priced significantly below their $100 par value, closing July at $89.46 despite a monthly gain. The company confirmed its August dividend will hold at the recently increased 12% annual rate, paid semi-monthly. Management's stated objective is for the shares to trade at $99-$100, though no timeline was given. The firm reported a large Q2 net loss due to unrealized losses on its Bitcoin holdings but has built a $3.75 billion cash reserve to support preferred dividend payments for over two years. It has also begun repurchasing STRC shares while they trade below par.

cointelegraph2 h fa

Strategy leaves preferred STRC dividend at 12% as price still below par

cointelegraph2 h fa

Bitcoin Withdrawals Continue: 8 Years of Storage in a Coldcard Cold Wallet Ended in Zero

Coldcard Hardware Wallet Hacked: Losses Mount Due to Vulnerable Seed Generation A critical vulnerability in Coldcard hardware wallets has led to a continued wave of fund thefts. According to Galaxy Research, the total stolen has reached 1,367.05 BTC (approx. $88.6 million) from 4,585 addresses, a significant increase from the initial 594.5 BTC reported on July 30, 2026. Most of the stolen funds remain on the attackers' addresses. The issue is not with the current firmware, which Coinkite has updated, but with seed phrases generated on vulnerable devices between March 2021 and the release of fixed firmware versions. Due to a programmer error, devices switched from using a hardware random number generator to the software-based Yasmarang generator, which was initialized with publicly accessible data like the chip's serial number. This made the seed phrases predictable through offline brute-force attacks, meaning wallets remain at risk until funds are moved to a new wallet generated with the patched firmware. Affected devices include Mk2/Mk3 with firmware 4.0.1–4.1.9 (and up to 5.0.3), Mk4/Mk5 up to version 5.6.0, and Q models up to 1.5.0Q. The only exceptions are seeds created with a high-entropy method like at least 50 independent dice rolls or a strong unique BIP-39 passphrase. All other owners must generate a new seed on the fixed firmware and transfer their assets. A case highlighting the human impact involves a 39-year-old long-term investor who lost 2 BTC (approx. $130,000) in minutes. He had accumulated the Bitcoin over eight years through physical labor, viewing it as a financial lifeline and a retirement plan in a country suffering from hyperinflation. His story underscores that even conservative "buy and hold in cold storage" strategies can be compromised by such underlying technical flaws. From a technical perspective, this incident echoes historical failures where weak random number generators undermined cryptographic security, challenging the assumption that offline storage is automatically foolproof.

cryptonews.ru2 h fa

Bitcoin Withdrawals Continue: 8 Years of Storage in a Coldcard Cold Wallet Ended in Zero

cryptonews.ru2 h fa

Explosive Growth in Trading Volumes of 15 Altcoins Observed in South Korea!

Major South Korean cryptocurrency exchanges Upbit and Bithumb have reported a significant surge in trading volumes for several altcoins. Over the past 24 hours, the total trading volume for the most popular altcoins reached approximately $347.7 million. MetaDAO (META) led the rankings with a trading volume of $65.84 million on Upbit alone, accounting for 12.39% of the exchange's total spot volume. Euler (EUL) followed in second place with a total volume of $47.65 million across both exchanges. XRP, which consistently attracts substantial interest from Korean investors, achieved a total volume of $38.11 million. Other notable altcoins in the top 15 by trading volume include ThunderCore (TT) at $35.64 million, Babylon (BABY) at $25.15 million, and Shiba Inu (SHIB) at $10.55 million.

cryptonews.ru4 h fa

Trading

Spot