Odaily News An exchange-traded fund that invests directly in bitcoin will be listed on Australia's main stock market for the first time, promising to spark a new wave of enthusiasm after similar products were launched in the United States and Hong Kong, China. ASX Ltd., the exchange operator that handles most of the country's stock trading, has approved the VanEck Bitcoin ETF, which will be listed next Thursday, VanEck said in a press release on Saturday. "We recognize that bitcoin is an emerging asset class and many advisors and investors want to gain exposure to it," Arian Neiron, VanEck's CEO for Asia Pacific, said in the statement. He said the ETF provides exposure to bitcoin "using a regulated, transparent and familiar investment vehicle." Sydney's BetaShares Holdings Pty and another Australian company, DigitalX Ltd., are also waiting in line to list on the Australian main board. Two years ago, Australia's primary exchange CBOE Australia launched the first round of bitcoin ETFs. (Bloomberg)