SEC Misses Canary Capital Litecoin ETF Deadline

The SEC has missed the October 2, 2025 deadline to decide on Canary Capital’s Litecoin ETF. This decision was delayed due to a U.S. government shutdown and operational disruptions.

Involved parties include Canary Capital and the SEC. The SEC had requested the withdrawal of 19b-4 forms, impacting the regular ETF approval process. Canary Capital’s ETF is filed as a Form S-1, still pending. James Seyffart, ETF Analyst at Bloomberg, stated:

“The old 19b-4 deadlines for crypto ETF applications may no longer be relevant, as the SEC has asked applicants to withdraw them, leaving the S-1 registration statement as the sole document requiring regulatory approval.”

The delay impacted Litecoin (LTC), driving up the price and increasing daily trading volume. This reaction is attributed to investor optimism surrounding the potential ETF approval.

Although the decision delay caused financial impacts in the cryptocurrency market, primarily affecting Litecoin, there are no significant spillover effects to other major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum. Analysts discuss the effects of U.S. government shutdown on market access.

Traditionally, ETF filing delays can result in temporary crypto price surges followed by corrections. In this case, expectations of greater approval likelihood remain within crypto communities and investor circles. The SEC has a plan for operations during appropriations lapse.

Potential outcomes include changes in regulatory procedures due to evolving ETF standards. Prior shutdown events have also impacted regulatory timelines in the past, causing financial uncertainty in similar cases.