On Tuesday, Crypto asset manager Bitwise received approval to list its spot Chainlink ETF under the ticker CLNK on NYSE Arca. As the news spread, the Chainlink price witnessed a temporary boost to hit $14.22 intraday, before reverting to the current trading price of $14. That said, the volatility is understandable compared to the notable market recovery in the last first week of 2026.
Key Highlights:
- U.S. regulators have authorized Bitwise to introduce a spot-based Chainlink ETF on NYSE Arca.
- Chainlink price recovery is 5.5% short from challenging key resistance at $14.6
- The LINK buyers managed to reclaim key daily exponential moving averages of 20 and 50, reinforcing the bullish momentum.
SEC Greenlights Bitwise’s Spot Chainlink ETF
On January 6, 2026, Bitwise Asset Management received the requisite regulatory clearance to list a spot exchange traded fund tracking Chainlink’s LINK token on the NYSE Arca marketplace under the ticker CLNK.
The product, which will be organized as a direct holding vehicle, will reflect the real-time spot value of LINK by holding the real token. Custody for the digital assets is taken up by Coinbase Custody and BNY Mellon take care of the associated cash reserves – which is common as division seen in recent crypto ETF frameworks to cover security and operational needs.
Filings submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission including a Form 8-A on January 5 paved the path to the NYSE Arca listing approval. Trading is expected to begin soon, as early as the same week. The fund begins with an initial seed investment of $2.5 million, for 100,000 shares, at $25 per share.
To encourage early participation, Bitwise included a full waiver of management fees for the product’s first three months, available to the first $500 million AUM. After that, the standard annual fee stabilizes at 0.34%. While the main function of the ETF remains spot price tracking as the CME CF Chainlink-Dollar Reference Rate (New York Variant), documents do mention staking as one possible future secondary feature with a prospective provider, Attestant Ltd. identified in the event of activation – no specific rollout schedule provided.
Market response to the development was notable LINK price movement, with the token showing a greater than 11% climb in the preceding week, as well as around $14 in the token while trading volume and derivative activities increased. This follows the earlier presence of Grayscale’s competing Chainlink ETF (GLNK) which has already recorded inflows.
Chainlink Price Recovery to Challenge Key Resistance at $15
Over the past week, the Chainlink price recorded a significant upswing from $12.15 to currently trade at $14, registering a 15.3%. The surge followed broader market recovery as Bitcoin gained sustainability above $90,000 after weeks of sideways action.
A deeper analysis into LINK’s chart shows that the recent recovery emerged from the short-consolidation between $11.76 to $13. The rising trading volume backing this recovery shows increasing conviction from buyers to reclaim higher ground.
With sustained buying, the Chainlink price is poised for a 5.5% surge to hit the $14.75 barrier. This overhead resistance coincides with a long-coming resistance trendline that has been carrying the ongoing correction trend.
The potential retest creates a pivot moment for LINK’s short-term trajectory. A potential breakout will further accelerate the bullish momentum and set the price for a $17 rally.
While a potential reversal from the trendline will signal that the sell-the-bounce is intact among traders, bolstering the continuation for downtrend.
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