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Crypto ETPs

A way to follow bitcoin or ethereum prices through your regular broker — and one of the highest-risk corners you'll meet as a beginner.

See Crypto ETPs New to ETFs? →
Bitcoin and ethereum price exposure

What Crypto ETPs are

A crypto ETP (exchange-traded product) is a security you can buy through a normal brokerage account that tracks the price of a cryptocurrency, most often bitcoin or ethereum. It trades on a stock exchange like a share, so you get price exposure without setting up your own crypto exchange account or wallet.

In Europe these are usually called ETPs or ETNs, not ETFs. That is because fund rules ask you to spread money across many holdings, and a product tracking a single coin cannot. Many are 'physically backed', which means the provider actually holds the coin behind the product.

A word of caution: crypto prices move a lot. Swings of tens of percent in a short time are common, and a holding can lose most of its value. This is one of the highest-risk categories you will come across, and educational sources usually frame it as, at most, a tiny slice of a portfolio using money you could afford to lose.

At a glance

Common examplesSingle-coin bitcoin (BTC) or ethereum (ETH) products; some basket ETPs
Typical holdingsUsually ~1 coin per product; baskets hold a handful
Typical fee (TER)~0.2%–2%+ per year, higher than mainstream ETFs
StructureExchange-traded product / note (ETP/ETN), often physically backed
Risk levelVery high — large, fast price swings both ways

Why beginners look here

Access through your broker

You can get crypto price exposure in a normal brokerage account, without a separate crypto exchange or wallet.

Very high volatility

Prices can rise or fall sharply and quickly, and those swings cut both ways — up and down.

Tiny-slice thinking

Educational guides usually treat crypto as a small, optional add-on rather than a foundation of a portfolio.

What to look for

Single coin or basket Check whether it tracks just bitcoin, just ethereum, or a mix, so you know exactly what you are exposed to.
Physically backed or not 'Physically backed' means the actual coin is held behind the product; check how the ETP is structured.
The annual fee (TER) Crypto ETPs often cost more than mainstream ETFs, and that fee is quietly deducted over time.
Issuer and custody Check who issues the product and where the underlying coins are held, since this differs between providers.

Popular Crypto ETPs

A few of the largest, pulled live from the screener — an example, not a recommendation.

iShares Bitcoin ETP

IB1T · XS2940466316
Crypto CH Reinvests
Yearly fee (TER)?0.15%
1-yr return-45.1%
Fund size?€904m

Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF

STCE · US8085246564
Crypto US Unknown
Yearly fee (TER)?0.30%
1-yr return+5.7%
Fund size?€195m

State Street® Galaxy Hedged Digital Asset Ecosystem ETF

HECO · US78470P6482
Crypto US Unknown
Yearly fee (TER)?0.90%
1-yr return+87.4%
Fund size?€71m

iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF

IBIT · US46438F1012
Crypto Unknown
Yearly fee (TER)?0.25%
1-yr return-45.5%

iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF

ETHB · US46438M1062
Crypto Unknown
Yearly fee (TER)?0.25%

iShares Ethereum Trust ETF

ETHA · US46438R1059
Crypto Unknown
Yearly fee (TER)?0.25%
1-yr return-48.1%
See all Crypto ETPs in the screener →

Good to know

Is a crypto ETP the same as owning bitcoin directly?

Not quite. You own a security that tracks the price, held in your brokerage account, rather than coins in your own wallet. You get price exposure but not direct control of the coins.

Why is it called an ETP and not an ETF?

European fund rules ask you to spread money across many holdings, and a single-coin product cannot. So these trade as ETPs or ETNs (exchange-traded products or notes) instead of ETFs.

How much do people usually put into it?

There is no set rule, but educational sources commonly frame crypto as a tiny, optional slice, using money you could afford to lose entirely, rather than a core part of a portfolio.

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Finance Hamster provides educational information about ETFs and investing. It is not investment, tax, or legal advice, and not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Markets carry risk; do your own research or consult a licensed adviser.