The SEC is hitting the brakes on a new wave of exchange-traded funds, and it wants the public to weigh in before anyone gets a green light.
Chairman Paul Atkins announced on May 20 that the commission will solicit public comments on how it should handle applications for novel ETF products, specifically those tied to event contracts and prediction markets. Up to 24 filings are currently paused while the agency figures out what to do with them.
What’s actually happening
Several fund sponsors have voluntarily agreed to delay the effectiveness of their filings while the SEC conducts its review. Nobody forced these companies to pause. They chose to, which suggests the industry itself recognizes that rushing these products to market without regulatory clarity could backfire spectacularly.
Among the firms that have filed applications for event-contract ETFs are Bitwise, Roundhill Investments, and GraniteShares. All three submitted their applications in February 2026.
