Bitcoin’s months-long consolidation around the $100,000 mark broke decisively on July 14, 2025, when it surged to a new all-time high of $120,551. As of July 20, the cryptocurrency is up 26.6% year to date, adding to an already historic run.
“The Trump administration’s continued warming towards crypto has created a seismic shift forward for the industry,” says Chris Kline, chief operating officer and co-founder of Bitcoin IRA. “Strategic appointments of crypto-forward advocates, including Paul Atkins to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission and David Sacks as the inaugural artificial intelligence and crypto czar, underscore a deliberate recalibration of the fintech landscape.”
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However, veteran crypto investors know this kind of momentum rarely lasts forever. While there’s long-term optimism surrounding Bitcoin’s halving mechanism and capped 21 million supply, the more likely near-term scenario is some form of correction or an eventual return to a cyclical “crypto winter.”
Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results, but risk-conscious crypto investors have learned from previous crashes. For example, a backtest from July 2010 to July 2025 shows Bitcoin returned an astounding 153.8% annually.
But that came with extreme volatility (nearly 100%) and a peak drawdown of 93.2%, including repeated multi-year losses. Bitcoin may be a high-reward asset, but it’s also one of the riskiest investments in history, with swings new investors may not be able to stomach.
One result of growing institutional adoption of Bitcoin (BTC) and, increasingly, other cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL) and XRP (XRP), is a broader selection of increasingly sophisticated cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds, or ETFs.
Compared to the long-only spot products available at the start of 2024, today’s cryptocurrency ETFs offer greater flexibility. These include funds that use derivatives to generate income or provide downside protection. Many of these ETFs trade on U.S. exchanges, offer daily liquidity, and can be held in tax-advantaged accounts like Roth IRAs.
For investors looking to participate in the crypto space without directly holding volatile tokens, these ETFs may offer a smarter way to manage risk or earn cash flows.
Here are seven of the most interesting cryptocurrency ETFs to buy in 2025:
| ETF | Expense Ratio | Market Value |
| iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (ticker: IBIT) | 0.25% | $70 billion |
| Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF (BTC) | 0.15% | $4.6 billion |
| Global X Blockchain ETF (BKCH) | 0.50% | $146.8 million |
| Global X Bitcoin Covered Call ETF (BCCC) | 0.75% | $3.18 million |
| Roundhill Bitcoin Covered Call Strategy ETF (YBTC) | 0.96% | $207.5 million |
| ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) | 0.95% | $2.5 billion |
| Calamos Bitcoin 80 Series Structured Alt Protection ETF (CBTA) — April | 0.69% | $40.5 million |
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT)
“Looking back at 2016, there was only one option to directly hold Bitcoin within your retirement account,” Kline says. “Now, there are routes to hold crypto assets in nearly every type of financial account, and the market is better for it.” The clear winner of this trend has been BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF IBIT, which now holds over $86 billion in assets under management (AUM).
Approval from the SEC has enabled the ability for investors to trade options on IBIT. Investors can now buy or sell IBIT calls and puts with strikes staggered in weekly increments. This opens up the possibility for income-generating strategies like covered calls or cash-secured puts, assuming an investor has enough capital to buy 100 shares of IBIT for collateral.
Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF (BTC)
While IBIT initially attracted attention for waiving part of its 0.25% expense ratio, that waiver has since expired, making it no longer the cheapest spot Bitcoin ETF. That distinction now goes to BTC, the Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF, which charges just 0.15%. The fund holds $5.3 billion in AUM and each share represents fractional ownership of 0.00044283 Bitcoin, backed by a total of 45,722 Bitcoin in trust.
Unlike the spot Bitcoin ETFs that launched in January 2024, BTC debuted later in July 2024 as a spin-off. Grayscale seeded the fund by spinning off 10% of the assets from its original Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF (GBTC), which faced criticism for its steep 1.5% expense ratio. As investors increasingly rotated into new lower-cost competitors, Grayscale responded by creating BTC as a more affordable alternative.
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Global X Blockchain ETF (BKCH)
If spot Bitcoin is digital gold, then BKCH is a way to invest in infrastructure behind it, which is the crypto equivalent of gold mining stocks. This ETF tracks 27 companies represented by the Solactive Blockchain Index. That includes exchanges like Coinbase Global Inc. (COIN), miners such as IREN Ltd. (IREN), and custodians like Galaxy Digital Holdings Ltd. (GLXY). The ETF charges a 0.5% expense ratio.
“As observed in 2024, blockchain and crypto-related stocks — such as miners and crypto exchanges — typically offer higher-beta trades in a favorable crypto market environment or ahead of major events,” says Ido Caspi, research analyst at Global X ETFs. “The influx of institutional capital into Bitcoin, Ethereum and other tokens is also expected to increase crypto activity and, consequently, transaction fees.”
Global X Bitcoin Covered Call ETF (BCCC)
“BCCC provides indirect exposure to Bitcoin while generating weekly income through a systematic covered call strategy,” says Pedro Palandrani, senior vice president and head of product research & development at Global X ETFs. “Think of it as a balanced approach to Bitcoin investing – you get growth potential with regular income generation.” This ETF trades some capped upside for steadier income.
Buying BCCC gives investors a Bitcoin-linked income strategy without the need to sell covered calls on IBIT themselves. “By rolling options every week instead of monthly or quarterly, you’re capturing time decay more efficiently,” Palandrani explains. “Options lose value faster as they approach expiration, so this approach potentially harvests more premium over time.” BCCC charges a 0.75% expense ratio.
Roundhill Bitcoin Covered Call Strategy ETF (YBTC)
BCCC is fairly new, having launched in June 2025. Investors favoring a more established, tested alternative might like YBTC. This ETF uses a combination of IBIT options and Cboe Bitcoin U.S. ETF Index (CBTX) options to deliver weekly income at the cost of capped upside price appreciation. It charges a 0.96% expense ratio and currently pays a 44.4% distribution yield.
“YBTC offers the potential for high income, as it generates income through a covered call strategy on Bitcoin,” says Dave Mazza, CEO of Roundhill Investments. “This ETF provides upside exposure to Bitcoin, subject to a weekly cap, offering a unique blend of income generation and Bitcoin exposure without the complexities of direct Bitcoin investment or the hassle of trading options directly.”
ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO)
Before the launch of covered call Bitcoin ETFs like YBTC and BCCC, income-seeking crypto investors had to rely on products like BITO to generate Bitcoin-linked cash flow. BITO holds a portfolio of CME-traded Bitcoin futures contracts, backed by collateral in the form of U.S. Treasury bills. It was originally designed as a stopgap solution before regulators allowed spot Bitcoin ETFs to come to market in 2024.
One unique feature of BITO is its monthly income distributions. These are generated by realized gains when the fund rolls its futures contracts during bull markets. BITO must distribute all taxable income annually, resulting in an unusually high trailing 12-month yield of 55.4% as of now. However, that payout is highly variable and could drop significantly or even be suspended depending on market conditions.
Calamos Bitcoin 80 Series Structured Alt Protection ETF (CBTA) — April
“There is a mismatch between the percentage of financial advisors offering exposure to Bitcoin and the percentage of advisors being asked about Bitcoin,” says Matt Kaufman, senior vice president and global head of ETFs at Calamos Investments. “CBTA can fill that gap, giving investment advisors a tool for offering Bitcoin exposure to investors in a way that may better fit a traditional portfolio.”
If purchased at its inception in April 2025 and held for exactly one year, CBTA limits downside losses to 20% while capping potential gains at 51%. This risk-return trade-off may appeal to older investors or those wary of Bitcoin’s volatility. However, this exact protection buffer and upside cap only apply if CBTA is bought at the beginning of the outcome period and held through its one-year term.
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7 Best Cryptocurrency ETFs to Buy originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 07/21/25: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.