Chainlink's native token, LINK, debuted strongly on Tuesday. Grayscale's initial listing of a Chainlink-focused exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the US quickly boosted the asset's price. LINK rose 13-15% intraday to $13.9, marking one of the most notable recoveries following a weak market outlook in recent weeks.
A Critical Step for Chainlink
The new product is trading on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol GLNK. Grayscale's Chainlink Trust, which launched as a private placement in 2021 and moved to OTC Markets in 2022, has now been converted into a fully public ETF. This step makes access to LINK easier and more regulated for both retail and institutional investors.
According to Grayscale, GLNK offers investors the opportunity to gain exposure to Chainlink through traditional brokerage firms within a regulated framework. However, because the fund does not fall under the Investment Company Act of 1940, it lacks some of the consumer protections found in traditional ETFs. The fund's operating principle is based on holding LINK on behalf of investors and providing indirect access to the performance of these assets.
The Chainlink ecosystem itself demonstrates that this interest is no coincidence. LINK powers the decentralized oracle network, already one of the most critical components of the blockchain world. This network securely transfers off-chain data (such as price feeds, weather forecasts, election results, or other API-based data sets) to smart contracts. It also supports cross-chain infrastructure, enabling data and asset transfers between different blockchains that don't communicate with each other. This infrastructure, used in a wide range of applications from DeFi and NFTs to gaming applications and enterprise solutions, contributes to the safekeeping of tens of billions of dollars in value.
With the launch of the ETF, Chainlink's social media accounts also emphasized the "opportunity to invest in the fundamental bridge between the real world and blockchain." GLNK's volume exceeding 860,000 shares on its first day of trading demonstrates rapid investor interest. According to Yahoo Finance data, the fund has approximately $27.8 million in net assets and a 2.50% expense ratio.
LINK's price action has been quite volatile in recent months. The token has lost approximately 39% of its value since the beginning of the year and has experienced declines of up to 47% in the past year. Therefore, analysts believe the new ETF could create price stability in the medium term. The recent entry of similarly themed ETFs for assets such as Solana, Litecoin, and XRP, particularly in the US, demonstrates a diversified interest in traditional capital.
Grayscale's rapid transition from its product line to an ETF format is also noteworthy. The company previously transitioned from trust structures to an ETF model for assets such as Dogecoin and Solana. As the number of crypto-related securities products continues to grow in the US, Chainlink's acquisition of its own fund is a significant milestone in the sector.
