Interested in Bitcoin or Ethereum? These ETFs Offer Exposure to Digital Tokens

Adé Hennis, The Motley Fool

Sun, February 15, 2026 at 1:00 PM GMT+9 3 min read

In this article:

BTC-USD

-2.07%

ETH-USD

-5.10%

Both the **VanEck Bitcoin ETF **(NYSEMKT:HODL) and the **iShares Ethereum Trust ETF **(NASDAQ:ETHA) are designed for investors seeking direct exposure to the price movements of leading cryptocurrencies without owning the tokens themselves. This comparison focuses on their costs, performance, risk, and structural differences to help clarify which may appeal more to those weighing **Bitcoin **(CRYPTO:BTC) versus **Ethereum **(CRYPTO:ETH) exposure.

Snapshot (cost & size)

_The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months. _

Both have similar expense ratios and one-year price declines, but HODL’s smaller assets under management (AUM) may matter for investors who prioritize scale.

Performance & risk comparison

What’s inside

HODL was launched by VanEck on Jan. 4, 2024, and only holds Bitcoin. Six months later, BlackRock launched ETHA, which only holds Ether. Both funds offer direct exposure to the crypto market and share high volatility.

For more guidance on ETF investing, check out the full guide at this link.

What this means for investors

Both Bitcoin and Ethereum posted negative returns in 2025, marking the first annual decline since 2022. It was a wake-up call for many investors who thought the returns on Bitcoin and other top cryptocurrencies would be endless. Although governments and institutional entities continue to invest in the crypto space, it will still experience ups and downs just like the stock market.

Cryptocurrency should also not be viewed as a reliable hedge against the U.S. dollar, despite the impact of tariffs and geopolitical tensions on the fiat currency.

With that being said, investors must be cautious when investing in crypto-holding funds, as even though people may not have to worry about digital wallet hacks, the market is very volatile, and it will directly impact the performance of funds such as HODL and ETHA.

Throughout the entire existence of both funds, HODL has increased nearly 40%, while ETHA has fallen 41%, but it’s still too soon to say whether HODL will perform better than ETHA over the long term. For now, though, HODL shows better promise and holds a cryptocurrency that’s much more included in institutional and government development than Ether.

Should you buy stock in iShares Ethereum Trust - iShares Ethereum Trust ETF right now?

Before you buy stock in iShares Ethereum Trust - iShares Ethereum Trust ETF, consider this:

Story Continues  

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and iShares Ethereum Trust - iShares Ethereum Trust ETF wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $414,554!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,120,663!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 884% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 193% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.

See the 10 stocks »

_*Stock Advisor returns as of February 14, 2026. _

Adé Hennis has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin and Ethereum. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Interested in Bitcoin or Ethereum? These ETFs Offer Exposure to Digital Tokens was originally published by The Motley Fool

Terms and Privacy Policy

Privacy Dashboard

More Info