BlackRock files amendment for bitcoin income ETF, 0.65% fee

BlackRock filed a fourth amendment to the registration statement for the iShares Bitcoin Premium Income ETF on Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, disclosing a sponsor fee of 0.65% for the Nasdaq‑listed fund that will trade under the ticker BITA. The filing states the fund aims to reflect the performance of the price of bitcoin while providing premium income through an actively managed strategy of writing call options primarily on IBIT shares and, occasionally, on ETP Indices.

The filing reiterates the ETF's plan to combine direct exposure to bitcoin with income from option premiums. The fund will primarily write calls on shares of BlackRock's existing Nasdaq‑listed iShares Bitcoin ETF (IBIT), collecting premiums that can generate cash flow while capping potential gains if bitcoin rises sharply.

BlackRock disclosed the 0.65% sponsor fee is lower than the fees of the two largest covered‑call bitcoin ETFs, which carry fees around 0.95% and 0.99%.

Senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas expects the fund to launch soon, noting timing pressure from rival issuers: “My guess is this is going to launch very soon. They're under gun to beat Goldman to market, who is going to be effective around July 1. Game on.”

BlackRock's IBIT holds roughly $47.21 billion in net assets, giving deep liquidity that supports option‑writing on its shares. Using IBIT as the underlying for call writing can simplify execution and settlement compared with options tied to bitcoin futures or the cryptocurrency itself.

The amendment is the fourth filing related to the registration statement and forms part of the SEC review process. If approved, BITA would join existing covered‑call bitcoin funds with a lower disclosed sponsor fee.