VanEck launches WBMO all-in-one ETF with 2% bitcoin target
VanEck launched the Wealth Builder ETF (WBMO) on the NYSE, an actively managed multi-asset fund with a 2% bitcoin target and a 0.26% net expense ratio.
ETFS & INSTITUTIONSBITCOINNEWS
Daniel Hartley
10/29/20261 min read
VanEck has launched the Wealth Builder ETF, an actively managed fund that packages stocks, bonds, real assets and a small bitcoin position into a single ticker. The fund began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Oct. 27 under the symbol WBMO, according to Bitcoin Magazine and The Wealth Advisor.
The fund targets a 2% allocation to bitcoin, which may move within a range of 1% to 5%, The Wealth Advisor reported. Real assets such as gold, natural resources, infrastructure and commodities carry a 7.5% target within a 4% to 12% band. The remainder is spread across global equities and fixed income held through ETFs run by VanEck and other providers.
WBMO does not hold bitcoin directly. Its crypto exposure comes from spot bitcoin exchange-traded products held through a wholly owned Cayman Islands subsidiary, which is generally limited to 25% of total assets at each quarter-end, according to Bitcoin Magazine. The gross expense ratio is 0.33%, cut to 0.26% net by a fee waiver, and includes the costs of the underlying funds.
Bitcoin moves into the core portfolio
The product turns VanEck's Wealth Builder model portfolios into a single listed fund, with the manager choosing holdings, setting weights and rebalancing. Portfolio manager David Schassler, who heads multi-asset solutions at the firm, has argued that the traditional 60/40 split between stocks and bonds was designed for market conditions that no longer apply, The Wealth Advisor noted.
The launch extends a broader push by issuers to place bitcoin inside mainstream allocation products rather than only in standalone funds. VanEck, which manages about $244 billion, has also lifted bitcoin exposure in other strategies: its NODE fund raised its holdings of bitcoin ETPs from roughly 7% at the end of June to 16.8% at the end of September, Bitcoin Magazine reported.
VanEck cautions in its materials that digital asset ETPs can be extremely volatile. The small target weight limits how far bitcoin swings can move the overall fund, while giving advisers a way to add exposure without opening crypto accounts.
Source: Bitcoin Magazine, The Wealth Advisor, VanEck