Cryptocurrency investors have experienced a real rollercoaster over the last few years, so why should you consider investing in blockchain

exchange-traded funds

(ETFs)?

The likes of bitcoin, ethereum and ripple have all reached incredible highs and then crashed, and investors have seen big gains and big losses (and then gains again). The cryptocurrency space remains

volatile but exciting

, and many are interested in how to enter and make money in this developing sector.

However, depending on how you look at it, perhaps an even bigger story is blockchain, the

technology

behind cryptocurrencies. Blockchain is the mechanism by which digital currencies

are “mined” into existence

, and it has become a popular investment in its own right for savvy investors.

Case in point — a range of

blockchain technology stocks

have emerged, creating a wider array of blockchain companies in the market. Large companies like Facebook (NASDAQ:

FB

), IBM (NYSE:

IBM

), Microsoft (NASDAQ:

MSFT

) and Toyota (NYSE:

TM

)

have invested in blockchain

. These corporations see the potential for blockchain to play a role in driverless vehicles, food safety and

fintech

.

For those new to the blockchain investment space, deciding on a specific company to invest in may seem overwhelming, especially with the current uncertainty and price movements in the market.

That’s where ETFs come in. In simple terms, ETFs are marketable securities that track an index, a commodity, bonds or a basket of assets like an index fund. ETFs trade like a stock, and each ETF owns its underlying assets, dividing them up into shares that are available to investors.

While blockchain investing is new compared to most other industries, more and more investment data and opportunities are opening up in this space. Below is a look at the top five blockchain ETFs by total assets, as per

information on ETF.com

as of June 1, 2021.

Bear in mind that only one of these ETFs is a pure-play blockchain fund — the rest have other technology holdings and are not solely focused on blockchain companies.

1. Amplify Transformational Data Sharing ETF (ARCA:

BLOK

)

Total assets: US$1.03 billion

First on our list of blockchain ETFs is the Amplify Transformational Data Sharing ETF. It launched in January 2018 and has had its share of ups and downs.

This fund has exposure to investing in blockchain through a blend of industries, including banks, computers, telecommunications and media. It

invests in various levels

of blockchain companies, such as those whose operations are directly involved in blockchain applications, companies that have investments in blockchain technology and companies that are part of a blockchain consortium committed to the technology’s advancement.

Amplify is an actively managed blockchain ETF, which makes it stand out against the other ETFs on this list. It

has 47 holdings

with an expense ratio of 0.7 percent. The ETF’s top holdings include PayPal (NASDAQ:

PYPL

), Voyager Digital (NASDAQ:

VYGR

) and Square (NYSE:

SQ

).

2. Siren NASDAQ NexGen Economy ETF (NASDAQ:

BLCN

)

Total assets: US$310.9 million

The Siren NASDAQ NexGen Economy ETF launched in January 2018. Its holdings are principally focused on companies that are involved in the research, development and application of blockchain technology.

This blockchain ETF

has 77 holdings

with an expense ratio of 0.68 percent. Overstock.com (NASDAQ:

OSTK

), IBM and SAP (NYSE:

SAP

) are among its top holdings.

3. First Trust Indxx Innovative Transaction & Process ETF (NASDAQ:

LEGR

)

Total assets: US$107.33 million

The First Trust Indxx Innovative Transaction & Process ETF also

launched in January 2018

; it is a passive index fund. First Trust made this choice because it does not believe that anyone is currently adequately qualified to lead in the blockchain space given that it is such a new industry.

First Trust has two types of companies it selects from: blockchain users and blockchain developers. These include companies like IBM and Microsoft.

The fund

consists of 100 holdings

, which include NVIDIA (NASDAQ:

NVDA

) Oracle (NYSE:

ORCL

) and Honeywell (NASDAQ:

HON

). It has an expense ratio of 0.65 percent.

4. Bitwise Crypto Industry Innovators ETF (ARCA:

BITQ

)

Total assets: US$35.92 million

Fourth on our blockchain ETFs list is the Bitwise Crypto Industry Innovators ETF. This brand-new ETF listed in May 2021, and tracks an index of industry pioneering companies that generate the majority of their revenue from crypto business activities.

Billed as the

first crypto industry ETF

, the fund offers pure-play exposure to companies in the crypto sector and has an expense ratio of 0.85 percent. The ETF has

31 holdings

, the top three of which are Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:

COIN

), MicroStrategy (NYSE:

MSTR

) and Riot Blockchain (NASDAQ:

RIOT

).

5. Capital Link NextGen Protocol ETF (ARCA:

KOIN

)

Total assets: US$27.55 million

The Capital Link NextGen Protocol ETF is yet another blockchain ETF that launched in January 2018. This blockchain ETF tracks an index that selects its holdings based on their suitability in four categories: mining enablers, cryptocurrency users, solution providers and cryptocurrency payees.

This final blockchain ETF

has 45 holdings

and its expense ratio is 0.95 percent. Its top three holdings are NVIDIA, Intel (NASDAQ:

INTC

) and PayPal.

This is an updated version of an article first published by the Investing News Network in 2017.

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Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.