Regulatory optimism in the US has led to at least 31 altcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications to the US Securities and Exchange Commission in the first half of 2025.

The SEC has approved futures and spot ETFs for Bitcoin and Ether, but past attempts to list altcoin-related instruments have withered on the vine. Now, renewed optimism after the 2024 elections has led to several new applications that are expected to be approved.

The list includes filings from familiar names such as VanEck, which applied to list ETFs in BNB and Avalanche. WisdomTree and Franklin Templeton both have XRP ETFs pending. Memecoins are also represented, with REX-Osprey applying to list an ETF of US President Donald Trump’s token.

ETF and crypto analysts are optimistic that at least 10 applications will pass muster with the SEC, which has onlookers hyped about an “altcoin summer.”

ETF filings heat up hopes of an “altcoin summer”

Spot Bitcoin ETFs were first approved in the US in January 2024. Months later, in July, spot Ether ETFs followed.

This nod was seen as a pivotal moment for the adoption of cryptocurrencies, as it gave institutional investors exposure to the market through a financial instrument they were already comfortable with: an ETF. 

Now, altcoins (any crypto that isn’t Ether or Bitcoin) may be getting their shot at institutional adoption.

As shown by Cointelegraph Research, there have been at least 31 spot altcoin ETF filings in 2025. Among the applications, ETFs containing Ripple’s payments-focused crypto, XRP, and the seminal memecoin Dogecoin appear most prominently. 

According to Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas, a “potential Alt Coin summer” is on the way, with a Litecoin ETF likely to be the first approved — although SolanaSOL could be close behind.

“[A Litecoin ETF is] def among the most likely to be out first, but Osprey forcing their Solana 40 act filing effective may have sparked the SEC to act faster on the Solana ones,” he said.