Bybit Learn

Investing

Bitcoin

GBTC is the world's largest Bitcoin fund and the first-ever publicly traded trust that has a digital currency as its underlying value.

Screenshot_2023-08-31_at_3.30.21_PM.png

Screenshot_2023-08-31_at_3.40.35_PM.png

Screenshot_2023-08-31_at_3.39.37_PM.png

Screenshot_2023-08-31_at_4.59.33_PM.png

Grayscale® Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), an investment trust that’s traded publicly on the stock market, is a great option for individuals, companies and institutions unfamiliar with the crypto market who want to invest in Bitcoin without directly managing it.

But is it a good investment option for everyone else? Are you missing out if you haven’t invested in it yet? Are there drawbacks that might deter some people from buying Grayscale?

In this article, we’ll answer these questions and more.

) is the world's largest Bitcoin fund. It’s also the first-ever publicly traded trust that has a digital currency as its underlying value. If you don’t know what that is, here’s a quick rundown.

Trusts and funds on public stock exchanges have an underlying asset that dictates their value. These assets are mostly stocks in publicly traded companies. The price of the trust or fund fluctuates based on the underlying 

 (NAV), which is affected by the asset’s demand. An investor can buy a portion of the asset by purchasing shares in the fund.

Since GBTC is a cryptocurrency trust, you can 

 through your brokerage account. In doing so, you indirectly buy Bitcoin — avoiding the hassle of purchasing BTC through a 

. This means that you’re relying on Grayscale to buy and hold Bitcoin for you as a third party.

So the actual BTC is stored in the Grayscale institutional trust, and its retail index is traded on either the open or over-the-counter market. GBTC is similar to a crypto exchange-traded fund (

), as it pools investors’ funds to invest in Bitcoin and charges investors a management fee for investing in the fund.

How Does the GBTC Investment Vehicle Compare to a Bitcoin ETF?

, is a competitor of GBTC. That’s because ETFs track the market data or value of the underlying asset much more closely than a trust. Hence, the market price per Bitcoin ETF share is relatively close to the actual value of BTC.

But that’s not the case with shares of GTBC, because the trust charges an annual 

, and sometimes also a premium. That significantly increases the price of a GBTC share as compared to the market price of BTC while spot buying, or while buying shares of a Bitcoin ETF.

Currently, the crypto investment landscape is predominantly occupied by Bitcoin futures ETFs. These financial instruments allow investors to speculate on the future price of Bitcoin, but they don't necessarily offer the most accurate reflection of the asset's real-time market value. In contrast, GBTC has been proactive in seeking regulatory approval to transition into a 

 — a financial product that could revolutionize the way investors interact with Bitcoin.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs are designed to track the actual, real-time price of Bitcoin, providing a more immediate and accurate representation of the cryptocurrency's market value. Unlike 

, which are subject to the complexities of futures contracts and can deviate from the spot price due to factors like 

, spot ETFs aim to offer a one-to-one tracking of the underlying asset. This makes them potentially more reliable and straightforward for both retail and institutional investors.

Grayscale Bitcoin Trust gathers money, usually U.S. dollars (USD), from institutional investors and uses that to buy BTC directly. These BTC are stored in the Grayscale fund, which essentially makes the Grayscale institution — rather than its investors — the actual 

. You can then buy shares of GBTC and indirectly own BTC.

Ever since Grayscale became a publicly traded fund in 2015, various investors have poured a lot of cash into GBTC by buying Grayscale stocks during bull 

. Grayscale has used that capital to buy more and more BTC. Now, it’s accumulated over 643,572 bitcoins, which is 

 as of the time of this writing (Aug 31, 2023).

To put that number into perspective, Tesla holds approximately 10,725 BTC.

What Are Premiums and Discounts on GBTC Shares?

When you buy or sell GBTC shares, the trust doesn’t immediately buy or sell BTC with your investment. That’s where the concepts of premium and discount come into play, which are essential to learn about if you want to understand how GBTC works.

Suppose the Grayscale trust has about 500,000 BTC, which are all bought by shareholders. Then five investors come in, and each buys 1,000 BTC worth of GBTC shares.

Those purchases will raise the overall value of the trust by increasing the number of BTC held by GBTC investors as compared to the number of bitcoins owned by Grayscale as an institution. That’s because GBTC doesn’t immediately use the new investment to buy 5,000 more BTC.

This means that there’s a greater demand for GBTC shares than the supply of BTC. In such a case, the trust will add a premium to BTC’s value. Anyone who wants to buy GBTC shares will then have to pay that premium on top of the share value.

Similarly, if a bunch of investors sell their GBTC shares, the new investors will get a discount. This fluctuation means that you have to buy BTC at a different price than what you’ll get by buying directly from exchanges. That’s why GBTC share prices aren’t the same as the actual value of BTC.

Finally, you can only buy or sell GBTC shares during the opening hours of the stock market, unlike 

 buying and selling, which you can do at any time.

Grayscale’s Court Battle Against the SEC

Grayscale's legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) began when the regulatory body rejected Grayscale's application to convert its GBTC into a Bitcoin spot ETF. The SEC's primary concern was the potential for market manipulation, a stance that Grayscale vehemently opposed. Unlike other asset managers who also faced rejection, Grayscale took the bold step of suing the SEC, arguing that the regulatory requirements for Bitcoin futures ETFs should similarly apply to Bitcoin spot ETFs.

On Aug 29, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit 

 in favor of Grayscale. The court found the SEC's decision to be "arbitrary and capricious," stating that the regulatory body failed to provide a sufficient explanation for its denial. This ruling effectively vacated the SEC's initial denial order and set a new precedent in the cryptocurrency investment landscape.

Following the court's decision, there was a notable uptick in trading activity surrounding GBTC, as investors anticipated a narrowing discount to Bitcoin's spot price. First, the price of GBTC shares increased from $17.58 to a high of $20.56, the highest since BTC reached $31,000 in the middle of July 2023. This 17% increment to its share price has narrowed its 

Following this, Bitcoin’s price surged from $25,960 to a high of $27,974. The impact extended beyond just Bitcoin, as the ruling also had a positive effect on the broader cryptocurrency market, where altcoins such as 

GBTC's recent legal victories against the SEC have not only increased the likelihood of its own conversion into a Bitcoin spot ETF, but have also paved the way for other Bitcoin spot ETFs to gain regulatory approval. This could mark a significant shift in the cryptocurrency investment ecosystem, offering a more precise and potentially less volatile investment vehicle for those looking to gain exposure to Bitcoin.

Pros and Cons of Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC)

To help you decide whether or not to invest in the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, let’s look at its pros and cons.

Some advantages of buying GBTC stocks over owning Bitcoin directly include:

Crypto exchanges and wallets are vulnerable to 

. GTBC charges a management fee for keeping their BTC secure in cold storage, which is safe from hacks.

2. Regular Audits of the Bitcoin Investment Trust

 with the securities and exchange commission (SEC) to prove that it has the BTC that investors have paid for. That’s an advantage over crypto exchanges, which have the potential to scam people. An example of one such scam is the 

Investors can get tax breaks when they buy GBTC shares through 

, such as a 401(k) or an IRA. It’s also easier for investors to file taxes for publicly traded stocks of a trust that’s approved by the SEC.

Some drawbacks of owning GBTC stock are as follows:

GBTC charges a 2% annual fee. On top of that, you have to pay a premium to buy shares when demand is high. It’s not a good fit for smaller investors, because you need a minimum investment of $50,000 to buy into Grayscale Bitcoin Trust.

You can never redeem your shares for actual BTC because the Grayscale trust owns the private keys to the BTC in your shares.

The value of a GBTC share hasn’t been growing at the same rate as its underlying asset. Even if you don’t have to pay a premium, you still won’t earn as much profit by buying shares as you will by owning Bitcoin directly. From 2020 to 2021, GBTC’s share price 

 in value while BTC surged by nearly 340%.

 (PoR) with its customers due to security concerns, despite the global panic over the 

. This refusal has sparked public furor over the company's future.

Is Grayscale Bitcoin Trust a Good Investment?

GBTC may not be a good investment option because the value of GBTC shares doesn’t accurately match the value of Bitcoin. Prior to its win against the SEC, GBTC shares were trading at a record-low 45.08% discount to Bitcoin’s net asset value 

. Now that Grayscale has won its court battle, GBTC shares are currently trading at a discount of 19.51% (as of Aug 31, 2023). While the discount has narrowed significantly, it still doesn’t change the fact that if you purchase GBTC shares today, you’ll get fewer BTC than you would through spot buying for the same amount in USD. 

Investing in GBTC doesn’t give you voting rights on protocols, because you don’t own the 

to the BTC in your shares. Also, transactions occurring on the trust are censored by government agencies — which defeats the original purpose of a decentralized digital currency.

Perhaps in the future, if the shares start trading at a premium again, then Grayscale will be a good option for accredited investors who can purchase GBTC shares at the NAV price.

While Grayscale's recent legal victory against the SEC has been a game changer, it's essential to consider the broader context when evaluating GBTC as an investment vehicle. Historically, GBTC has been a go-to option primarily for affluent investors, given its premium pricing and unique structure. Moreover, the trust has been under scrutiny for its lack of transparency, particularly its unwillingness to disclose proof of reserves. This has raised legitimate concerns about the trust's overall credibility and risk profile.

The court ruling has certainly bolstered GBTC's prospects of becoming a Bitcoin spot ETF, but it doesn't entirely mitigate the existing criticisms and risks associated with the Grayscale trust. For retail investors, the question then becomes whether the potential benefits of a Bitcoin spot ETF outweigh the existing concerns. When looking at the volatility within the cryptocurrency market, coupled with GBTC's opaque practices, some may argue that direct ownership of Bitcoin could be a more straightforward and potentially safer alternative.

Volatility is unavoidable, whether you’re buying BTC directly or on the open market through GBTC. Whenever lawmakers release new rules about regulating crypto or deny a 

In addition, since you don’t own the BTC in your GBTC shares, you can’t use it. If you want to actually use Bitcoin and save on management fees, then you’re better off 

While Grayscale’s recent legal win has opened new doors for its Bitcoin Trust, investors must weigh the inherent risks and criticisms against the potential rewards. The court ruling is a significant milestone, but it doesn't serve as a blanket endorsement of GBTC as an investment option. Retail investors need to exercise 

 and consider multiple avenues for cryptocurrency exposure, including the direct ownership of Bitcoin.

Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC): All You Need to Know

Get your daily dose of crypto and trading info