The move follows a disclosure that Hashdex had authorized a plan to liquidate the Hashdex Bitcoin ETF, terminate its continuous offering, and deregister the fund’s NYSE Arca-listed shares, according to a Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 3, 2026.
Hashdex’s Bitcoin ETF, DEFI, holds its final session on NYSE Arca today, closing out trading ahead of the fund’s planned closure and liquidation after the sponsor authorized a plan to wind the product down.
The move follows a disclosure that Hashdex had authorized a plan to liquidate the Hashdex Bitcoin ETF, terminate its continuous offering, and deregister the fund’s NYSE Arca-listed shares, according to a Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 3, 2026. For related coverage, see Coldcard Hack Reportedly Hit 1,000+ Bitcoin Addresses.
Under the plan, DEFI will no longer accept creation orders after August 17, 2026, and trading on NYSE Arca will be suspended after the close of business the same day. Today is therefore the last day investors can buy or sell the shares on the exchange. For related coverage, see Boltz Disables Bitcoin Swaps: What It Means for Users.
DEFI is Hashdex’s Bitcoin ETF, a fund that gives investors exposure to Bitcoin through an exchange-listed share rather than direct token ownership. “Ends trading” means the shares can no longer be bought or sold on NYSE Arca once today’s session closes. For related coverage, see Coldcard Urges Users to Move Bitcoin as Exploit Continues.
The end of trading is a separate step from the closure and liquidation that follows. Trading stops first; the fund then sells its holdings and returns cash to shareholders over the days that follow.
The fund had already shrunk considerably heading into its final session. Hashdex said DEFI’s assets under management were approximately $14.7 million as of July 30, 2026, in the accompanying press release.
By the middle of the month the fund had contracted further, showing 100,000 common shares outstanding and $7.12 million in total net assets as of August 14, 2026, on Hashdex’s fund page. The same page listed DEFI holding 112.29 BTC.
Closure is the wind-down of the fund itself: Hashdex is terminating the continuous offering and moving to delist the shares via a Form 25 with the SEC. The decision was communicated to NYSE Arca as part of that process.
Liquidation is the step that turns the fund’s Bitcoin into cash. The fund sells its remaining holdings and distributes the proceeds to shareholders, who receive cash rather than continuing to hold the ETF shares. The mechanics of that sale are outlined further in coverage of how Hashdex plans to sell down DEFI’s Bitcoin.
Investors holding DEFI at the trading halt do not need to sell manually to exit; the liquidation process converts their position to cash. The official filings say those proceeds are expected on or about August 24, 2026.
One detail worth watching: the official sources are not fully aligned on the payout date. The SEC 8-K points to on or about August 24, while the issuer press release references on or about August 28, and neither the filing nor secondary coverage resolves the discrepancy. Shareholders should monitor Hashdex’s official fund communications for the confirmed distribution date.
The timeline and headline figures were laid out when Hashdex first signaled the wind-down, detailed in reporting that the sponsor would close and liquidate the fund with trading ending August 17.
ETF closures draw attention because they force a visible, dated cash-out for remaining holders and remove a listed product from the market. For a Bitcoin fund, the wind-down also means selling the underlying BTC, which ties an operational event to spot-market activity.
Crypto-native coverage framed DEFI’s shutdown as a forced cash-out for remaining holders and flagged redemptions ahead of the trading halt, even as flows into larger Bitcoin ETFs stayed concentrated in market leaders. DEFI appears to be the first U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF liquidation, according to unconfirmed reports that have not been independently verified through a full fund-by-fund review.
The closure lands against a subdued market backdrop. Bitcoin traded near $64,064 with a 24-hour gain of about 1.18% as DEFI approached its final session.
Sentiment was cautious alongside the price action, with the Fear & Greed Index printing 31, a reading classified as Fear. This article focuses on DEFI specifically rather than making broader claims about the direction of the Bitcoin ETF market.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrency and digital asset markets carry significant risk. Always do your own research before making decisions.
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