Galaxy Digital to Develop ETPs Alongside Asset Manager DWS

Crypto-focused financial services firm Galaxy Digital (GLXY) has teamed up with asset manager DWS to develop a set of exchange-traded products (ETPs) for listing in Europe.

The two firms have formed a “strategic alliance,” according to an announcement on Wednesday, of which the ETP development is the initial aim.

The ETPs will give European investors cost-effective means of accessing digital asset investment through traditional brokerage accounts. Frankfurt-based DWS, which has 821 billion euros ($907 billion) in assets under management, will be Galaxy’s “exclusive ally” for crypto ETPs in Europe, the announcement said.

Galaxy has previously listed exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in Canada alongside CI Global Asset Management.

While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s repeated rejection of applications to list spot bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. has been a source of ongoing frustration in the industry, similar products are now well established in Europe and Canada.

The significance of such investment vehicles lies in their providing institutional investors with an entry point to crypto investment while not requiring them to take direct control of the underlying assets, which could prove an impediment to adoption for such firms.