BlackRock has moved forward with its Bitcoin premium income strategy, revealing a ticker for its upcoming iShares Bitcoin Premium Income ETF. Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas said on X that the fund will trade under “$BITA” and noted that BlackRock has filed an amended S-1 registration statement for the product, describing it as a sequel to its existing Bitcoin ETF lineup.
He added that no management fee has been set, with his “over/under” estimate at 38 basis points. There is no official launch date yet.
The proposed ETF is designed to combine direct BTC exposure with an income-generating options overlay.
According to prior SEC filings, the structure is intended to hold BTC-linked assets, including shares of BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF IBIT, while also writing covered call options on those holdings. The strategy aims to generate “premium income” while still tracking Bitcoin’s price performance, net of expenses.
The fund is part of BlackRock’s broader effort to expand institutional BTC products beyond passive exposure and into yield-focused strategies. It reflects growing demand from allocators who want BTC exposure but also seek portfolio income similar to traditional equity option-writing funds.
If approved and launched, the ETF would add another layer to the rapidly expanding Bitcoin ETF market in the United States, where asset managers are increasingly competing on structure and yield features rather than simple spot exposure alone.
Morgan Stanley is joining the Bitcoin ETF train
Earlier this year, Morgan Stanley moved closer to launching its spot Bitcoin ETF ‘MSBT’ after the New York Stock Exchange issued a listing notice. If approved, MSBT would become the first spot Bitcoin ETF issued by a major U.S. bank rather than an asset manager.
The trust is designed to provide direct BTC exposure through brokerage accounts by holding BTC in custody, with shares tracking the spot price.
Coinbase Custody is set to safeguard assets in cold storage, while BNY Mellon will handle administration, transfer agency services, and cash operations. The structure mirrors existing spot BTC ETFs in the United States.
Shortly after the listing notice, filings revealed a competitive fee structure. MSBT is expected to launch with a 0.14% annual expense ratio, undercutting rivals such as BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust, which charges around 0.25%.
This low fee could accelerate adoption inside Morgan Stanley’s wealth management platform, overseeing trillions in client assets and thousands of financial advisors.
It would expand BTC access across traditional portfolios, potentially channeling institutional demand into spot markets if advisors allocate even a small percentage of client assets.
At launch, the fund is expected to be seeded with about 50,000 shares worth roughly $1 million. It arrives amid strong inflows into U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, which have attracted tens of billions since debut, while adoption remains a key growth frontier.