{"id":12857,"date":"2025-02-13T11:02:16","date_gmt":"2025-02-13T11:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/?p=12857"},"modified":"2025-02-13T11:02:16","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T11:02:16","slug":"israel-approves-btc-funds-while-new-crypto-meme-index-disrupts-meme-trading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/?p=12857","title":{"rendered":"Israel Approves BTC Funds While New Crypto Meme Index Disrupts Meme Trading"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Israeli Securities Authority (ISA) approved six Bitcoin ($BTC) mutual funds, managed by local firms Migdal Capital Markets, More, Ayalon, Phoenix Investment, Meitav, and IBI.<\/p>\n

$BTC mutual funds are different from exchange-traded funds (ETFs) launched in the US in 2024. Still, this move shows growing institutional acceptance of crypto globally.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s unpack how Israel\u2019s new crypto funds will impact the market.<\/p>\n

Israel Follows the US\u2019 Lead<\/h2>\n

The six new funds will offer different levels of $BTC exposure and will have fees ranging from 0.25% to 1.5%.<\/p>\n

Unlike ETFs, which trade $BTC throughout the entire day at market prices, mutual funds only trade once per day at a set NAV (net asset value). This means mutual funds are more actively managed and thus tend to charge higher fees.<\/p>\n

Still, the US $BTC ETF approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has likely played a role in legitimizing similar products in Israel.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s still too early to judge how big of a demand Israeli investors have for crypto, but US $BTC ETFs<\/a> amassed $40.12B in cumulative net inflows since their launch and pushed $BTC to a new all-time high.<\/p>\n

Could Israel Be the New Crypto Hub?<\/h2>\n

According to crypto-focused fund Collider<\/a>, Israeli crypto startups have secured over $100M in funding since October 2024, contributing to a total of more than $3 billion raised to date.<\/p>\n

Israel is home to over 174 crypto companies, including trading platform eToro (rolled out in 2007 and one of the first globally to expand into crypto), Ethereum Layer-2 solution StarkWare, and digital asset security firm Fireblocks.<\/p>\n

The country has long been a hotbed of technological \u2018unicorns\u2019 (young private companies valued over $1B). Now, the booming Web3 sector might strengthen Israel\u2019s leading position in the tech industry and create thousands of new jobs.<\/p>\n

Clear and well-established regulations may be a key driver of this growth. The Israeli Tax Authority set digital asset taxation rules as early as 2018, giving startups a regulatory advantage\u2014unlike many countries that only introduced such guidelines in 2024.<\/p>\n

Meme Index ($MEMEX) Brings TradFi Instruments to Meme Coins<\/h2>\n

Israel\u2019s crypto embrace is without doubt bullish for the market, as it expands the pool of potential investors and legitimizes crypto in the eyes of traditional financial institutions.<\/p>\n

But the \u2018hybrid finance\u2019 trend goes both ways. We also see the crypto community dipping their toes into TradFi.<\/p>\n

Case in point: Meme Index ($MEMEX)<\/a>. This new meme coin project caters to degen traders who want to gain exposure to speculative assets while managing risk.<\/p>\n

Meme Index achieves this through four indexes with different risk-reward ratios:<\/p>\n