WisdomTree CEO: Blockchain Could Disrupt Financial Industry Like ETFs Did

Jonathan Steinberg says the ‘right regulation’ is needed to allow blockchain’s benefits

article-image

WisdomTree CEO Jonathan Steinberg

share

Blockchain technology can disrupt traditional financial services the way that ETFs have disturbed mutual funds, WisdomTree CEO Jonathan Steinberg said during an interview at Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit last month.     

“I do believe that this will prove to be the next wrapper that will transform not just asset management, but all of financial services,” he noted. 

Steinberg said that current regulatory issues around crypto will have to be solved in order to mainstream the space.

Though WisdomTree currently offers several exchange traded products in Europe that invest in cryptocurrencies, it awaits approval from the SEC for its proposed bitcoin ETF in the US. 

“The SEC is starting to understand that not approving a bitcoin [exchange traded product] is forcing investors into inferior structures and it is having negative consequences,” he noted.

Watch the full interview below and watch all of the panel videos from DAS here.


Are you a UK or EU reader that can’t get enough investor-focused content on digital assets? Join us in London on November 15th and 16th for the Digital Asset Summit (DAS) London. Use code ARTICLE for £75 off your ticket. Buy it now.


Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Brooklyn, NY

SUN - MON, JUN. 22 - 23, 2025

Blockworks and Cracked Labs are teaming up for the third installment of the Permissionless Hackathon, happening June 22–23, 2025 in Brooklyn, NY. This is a 36-hour IRL builder sprint where developers, designers, and creatives ship real projects solving real problems across […]

recent research

Research Report Templates (8).png

Research

Meta-aggregators like Titan and Kamino Swap improve price execution for users, making the Solana swapping landscape more competitive. Jupiter has incorporated meta-aggregation features into its latest routing engine to keep users on its front end (own the user, own the flow). At large, teams are treating swaps as a commoditized complement, offering incredibly cheap or free swaps to own the end-user and increase demand for high-margin product offerings (multi-product DeFi). On another note, the divergence in the concentration of aggregator volume between DEXs suggests increased specialization at the DEX layer by asset type.

article-image

Attorneys weigh in on the issue in light of a changing US regulatory environment

article-image

A new report by top Ethereum stakeholders projects ETH at $8000

article-image

Onboarding the world to Bitcoin takes a series of firsts

article-image

If we get an altcoin season, it’ll be focused on tokens deemed “ fundamentally valuable enough for traditional public money and capital” to get involved with

article-image

Solana dropped nearly 10% amid mass crypto liquidations triggered by rising geopolitical strife

article-image

Investors moved to safe assets like the US dollar and gold, but bonds faltered