Controversy Heats Up Over Ethereum Staking ETFs as BlackRock’s Late Filing Spurs Market Calls for SEC to Reject “Blanket Approval”

BlockBeats News, July 20 — According to DL News, “Approve all at once, or handle them one by one”—this is the dilemma facing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as it considers how to address the Ethereum spot ETF staking amendment.

This week, BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust filed an application to add staking functionality, reigniting the debate over the SEC’s batch approval process.

Although several exchanges submitted similar requests months ago, BlackRock’s proposal was filed later, with a final approval deadline set for April 2026.

While it may seem early on the surface, analysts expect the SEC could make a decision sooner—possibly as early as the fourth quarter of this year—and issue a unified ruling for all applicants. This approach would be consistent with how the SEC approved spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs last year.