Bitwise Asset Management will launch the Avalanche ETF under the ticker BAVA on the New York Stock Exchange on April 15, 2026. The fund provides direct exposure to AVAX while generating staking rewards through internal operations, targeting an average yield of 5.4%.
ETF Structure and Staking Mechanism
The ETF will allocate at least 80% of its assets to AVAX-related exposure but does not rely solely on passive holding. Bitwise's in-house division, Bitwise Onchain Solutions, will stake the underlying AVAX to generate additional returns. The firm emphasized that liquidity will be carefully managed during staking to ensure investor redemptions remain smooth.
Fee and Liquidity Arrangement
The management fee stands at 0.34%, with zero fees on the first $500 million in assets during the first month. This fee structure is competitive among crypto ETFs. Bitwise stated the design aims to combine price exposure with yield while maintaining flexibility for investors, avoiding the yield drag typical of passive holdings.
Institutional Adoption and Ecosystem Use
Avalanche's network has seen growing institutional activity. FIFA's digital collectibles platform for the 2026 World Cup runs on Avalanche. Wyoming's Frontier stable token project also operates on the chain, and New Jersey uses it for business certification pilots. Corporately, Toyota leverages Avalanche for mobility and supply chain solutions, while financial institutions like KKR and BlackRock explore tokenization on the network.
Executive Views
Matt Hougan, Bitwise CIO, said the ETF provides access to a blockchain used in real-world financial systems, balancing flexibility with network scalability. Anthony Scaramucci of SkyBridge added that Avalanche supports secure and efficient fund tokenization, referencing its role in SkyBridge's blockchain-based fund operations.