Post
Topic
Board Bitcoin Discussion
Re: Is Buying Shares of a BTC ETF a good way to invest in Bitcoin?
by
BTCETFInvestor
on 24/07/2025, 19:35:01 UTC
Buying a BTC ETF like FBTC is an easy way to get price exposure. Yes, it works when you do not mind technicalities or direct ownership. But you are not actually buying Bitcoin. You are buying a financial product that tracks Bitcoin's price. You do not get real custody, cannot send BTC, cannot move it off the exchange. It is convenient, regulated, but your Bitcoin lives in someone else's vault, and you trust them to let you cash out.

It is fine for traditional investors, and for people who want zero hassle. Just remember, you are getting Wall Street's version of Bitcoin, not the real thing. If you want actual control and self-sovereignty, learn to use a wallet and buy real BTC. Otherwise, the ETF suffices to simple exposure and to the majority of late adopters.. Simply know what you are owning. It is not the initial vision of Bitcoin, yet it is the way of least resistance.

I've got a significant amount of assets in Fidelity, Vanguard, Charles Schwab and Wells Fargo - so I'm comfortable they aren't going to fail or get hacked...


They can be trusted firms but the very first reason for the existence of bitcoin is to eliminate trusted third party aka custodians, fund managers, etc and by inheriting the same system for bitcoin too means we are just stuck with the same risks of being censored, controlled, rigged...

If you own bitcoin, you no need to trust anyone, just you have the complete access to your coins if you store them in a wallet that provide seeds/private keys and you are the ultimate controller of your funds, even if Satoshi wanted he can't do anything but that's not same with the way of ETF, or any custodial way of storing bitcoin.

The stocks I own in my brokerage accounts at Fidelity, Charles Schwab and Wells Fargo can be sold and the proceeds made liquid. I really don't see a difference in owning shares of a BTC ETF and shares of a stock. I'm comfortable with both...