Background: BetaShares are an Aussie provider of exchange-traded funds (aka ETFs). They started back in 2009, and really led the ETF movement here in Australia.

What happened: About a week ago, Australia's corporate regulator ASIC gave Bitcoin ETFs the green light. And nek minnit (the next week) Betashares releases their first crypto ETF called CRYP.

What else: It ain't an ETF with bitcoin, ethereum and other cryptos (that's still illegal). Instead, it's an ETF with investments in crypto-adjacent companies, like Coinbase and Riot Blockchain. And by the end of its first day of trade, CRYP saw around $42.5 million traded. 

So what's the key learning?

💡An exchange-traded fund has an investment in a bunch of companies in the one fund. And this fund is traded on the share market just like an individual share.

💡ETFs are popular because they they're less risky. Ya know, don't put all your eggs in one basket. An ETF is made up of investments in multiple different companies, which reduces the impact on your overall returns if one of those companies goes belly up.

💡Some ETFs are designed to mimic stock markets (i.e. the ASX200 or the NASDAQ100). Some are designed to track sustainable companies, and others track tech companies. And, they're a lot safer than investing in a speculative stock...and expecting to ride it to the moon.