21Shares Launches First-Ever Spot Polkadot ETF in the US

21Shares, a crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF) provider, has launched the first-ever spot Polkadot ETF in the United States. This milestone comes after investment companies have pursued approval of the Polkadot ETF for over a year.

It’s @Polkadot time.

We’re excited to launch the 21shares Polkadot ETF, offering investors a liquid way to integrate Polkadot into their portfolios through their banks or brokers.

Why we believe Polkadot is interesting in 30 seconds:
▫️Interoperability: One of the only… pic.twitter.com/g6X9FFIXu8

— 21shares US (@21shares_us) March 6, 2026

The First-Ever Polkadot ETF

After the spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs garnered much success following their 2024 debut, various ETF issuers began applying for the approval of investment funds backed by other cryptocurrencies. Among them was the Polkadot ETF.

In late January 2025, 21Shares applied for a DOT-backed ETF. Grayscale followed a similar path the following month. However, the regulatory agency in charge, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), did not give a green light at the time.

Fast-forward to the present, 21Shares has become the first to secure a Polkadot ETF listing in the country. The financial instrument will trade under the ticker TDOT in the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. Holding the fund gives investors indirect exposure to the layer-0 network’s native cryptocurrency.

21Shares has selected Coinbase Custody Trust and BitGo Custodian as custodians for its DOT holdings on behalf of investors.

The firm added that it would explore DOT staking through third-party staking service providers. It explained that it would “stake all or a portion of” the DOT holdings. However, the ETF issuer noted that it would consider factors, such as the “performance, reliability, and reputation” of its staking partners.

DOT Fails to Impress

Despite the news, Polkadot’s native coin, DOT, has failed to impress. At the time of writing, it sold for $1.47, representing over a 3% decrease in the past 24 hours. Its daily traded volume has also dropped by nearly 6%, bringing it to $161.03 million at press time.

The price decline is not entirely surprising because most prominent cryptocurrencies are also experiencing significant market downtrends.

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