The regulator pointed to “a lack of current, consistent and accurate information” in the two crypto investment vehicles issued by Swedish firm XBT Provider AB following their entry into the US market last month. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Sunday issued an order to halt the trading in Bitcoin Tracker One (CXBTF) and Ether Tracker One (CETHF), two investment products that track cryptocurrencies. The two exchange-traded notes (ETNs) are issued by Swedish company XBT Provider AB, a subsidiary of U.K.-based Coinshares Holdings.
The two products have been listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm exchange since 2015 and entered the U.S. market last month under the ticker CXBTF, enabling domestic investors to access and invest in the crypto ETNs in an over-the-counter (OTC) market with their U.S. dollars.
The SEC claimed the ETNs’ presence in the U.S. market resulted in “confusion amongst market participants”, resulting in the temporary halt. The suspension commenced at 1730 EDT on Sunday, September 9 and will last until 11:59 EDT on September 20.