The Israeli Securities Authority (ISA) approved six Bitcoin ($BTC) mutual funds, managed by local firms Migdal Capital Markets, More, Ayalon, Phoenix Investment, Meitav, and IBI.
$BTC mutual funds are different from exchange-traded funds (ETFs) launched in the US in 2024. Still, this move shows growing institutional acceptance of crypto globally.
Let’s unpack how Israel’s new crypto funds will impact the market.
Israel Follows the US’ Lead
The six new funds will offer different levels of $BTC exposure and will have fees ranging from 0.25% to 1.5%.
Unlike ETFs, which trade $BTC throughout the entire day at market prices, mutual funds only trade once per day at a set NAV (net asset value). This means mutual funds are more actively managed and thus tend to charge higher fees.
Still, the US $BTC ETF approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has likely played a role in legitimizing similar products in Israel.
It’s still too early to judge how big of a demand Israeli investors have for crypto, but US $BTC ETFs amassed $40.12B in cumulative net inflows since their launch and pushed $BTC to a new all-time high.
Could Israel Be the New Crypto Hub?
According to crypto-focused fund Collider, Israeli crypto startups have secured over $100M in funding since October 2024, contributing to a total of more than $3 billion raised to date.
Israel is home to over 174 crypto companies, including trading platform eToro (rolled out in 2007 and one of the first globally to expand into crypto), Ethereum Layer-2 solution StarkWare, and digital asset security firm Fireblocks.
The country has long been a hotbed of technological ‘unicorns’ (young private companies valued over $1B). Now, the booming Web3 sector might strengthen Israel’s leading position in the tech industry and create thousands of new jobs.
Clear and well-established regulations may be a key driver of this growth. The Israeli Tax Authority set digital asset taxation rules as early as 2018, giving startups a regulatory advantage—unlike many countries that only introduced such guidelines in 2024.
Meme Index ($MEMEX) Brings TradFi Instruments to Meme Coins
Israel’s crypto embrace is without doubt bullish for the market, as it expands the pool of potential investors and legitimizes crypto in the eyes of traditional financial institutions.
But the ‘hybrid finance’ trend goes both ways. We also see the crypto community dipping their toes into TradFi.
Case in point: Meme Index ($MEMEX). This new meme coin project caters to degen traders who want to gain exposure to speculative assets while managing risk.
Meme Index achieves this through four indexes with different risk-reward ratios:
- Titan – Established tokens like $DOGE and $SHIB with low volatility
- Moonshot – Coins like $MOG and $POPCAT that have earned their spot in the top 50
- MidCap – Assets with a medium market cap that have the chance to get into high echelons
- Frenzy – Newest meme coins with the highest risk level
Essentially, it provides a safer way to invest in meme coins through diversification. This could open the meme market to risk-averse investors, ultimately driving its growth.
The $MEMEX token now costs $0.0161637 on presale, but the price will increase in two days. This means now is the best time to secure your share of tokens at a discount. After $MEMEX launches on exchanges, it could surge to $0.074.
Final Remarks
While TradFi opens doors to crypto through ETFs and mutual funds, projects like Meme Index bring structure to speculative trading.
To buy $MEMEX, visit the official presale website, connect your wallet, and pay in $ETH, $USDT, or $BNB. Alternatively, use the Best Wallet app for easy access to the top presales of the year.
As always, we strongly recommend doing your own research (DYOR) and diversifying your portfolio to manage risk, as the crypto market remains highly volatile.
