Grayscale Ethereum Trust to implement 9-for-1 share split

Digital asset manager Grayscale has announced a share split for its Ethereum Trust — a move that could make the fund more attractive to individual investors. 

In an official press release, Grayscale announced Wednesday that the split will be implemented on Dec. 17, with shareholders of record receiving eight additional shares for each one they currently own. To be eligible for the split, investors need to be on the shareholder record by Dec. 14.

Grayscale says the fund currently has 29,502,100 shares at a value of 0.09284789 Ether (ETH) per share. Following the split, the trust will have 265,518,900 shares worth 0.01031643 ETH apiece.

According to the press release:

"The Trust may create new Shares after the date of this press release and up through the Record Date."

One of the main goals of declaring a split is to make the fund more attractive to individual investors who may feel they’ve been priced out of the market. The split doesn’t affect future gains or even the current value of the fund, which means its effects are purely psychological.

The asset manager has seen record inflows into its funds, reflecting an upsurge in demand for digital assets. Total investments into Grayscale products reached $1.05 billion in the third quarter, with average weekly inflows into the Ethereum Trust hitting $15.6 million. The Ethereum Trust’s weekly inflows increased by over 73% compared with the trailing 12-month average.

Grayscale’s larger Bitcoin Trust averaged $80.5 million in weekly inflows during the quarter, compared with a trailing 12-month average of $39.5 million.

Excitement surrounding Ethereum is growing following the official launch of Eth2 on Tuesday. Phase 0 of the development roadmap kicks off a multiyear upgrade for the smart contract platform.

Grayscale is positioning itself as a magnet for institutional investment into ETH and BTC during the bull market. On Tuesday, the company announced it will reair its #dropgold advertisement to raise awareness about investing in digital assets.