Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) has taken another step into the financial mainstream with the launch of a spot ETF backed by the Dogecoin Foundation. The 21shares Dogecoin ETF (NASDAQ:TDOG) began trading on Thursday, offering investors exposure to the meme-born cryptocurrency through traditional brokerage accounts.

TDOG is also the only spot Dogecoin ETF endorsed by the Dogecoin Foundation, the nonprofit that has supported the token's decentralized development since 2014. That endorsement comes through House of Doge, the foundation's relatively new corporate arm, backed by Elon Musk's personal attorney, Alex Spiro.

The ETF allows both retail and institutional investors to track Dogecoin's price without dealing with crypto wallets, private keys, or exchanges. TDOG is fully backed on a 1:1 basis by DOGE held in institutional-grade custody and carries a management fee of 0.50%.

A First For SEC-Approved Dogecoin Exposure

While Dogecoin ETFs are not entirely new, TDOG breaks important ground. Spot DOGE ETFs from Grayscale and Bitwise launched in November, but neither received explicit approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Those products went live through an automated process following a government shutdown.

Earlier this month, the SEC formally approved the 21Shares ETF, making TDOG the first spot Dogecoin ETF to receive a clear regulatory sign-off. In doing so, the agency effectively concluded for the first time that Dogecoin is not a security, a determination that could shape how the asset is treated going forward.

House of Doge has been working to move Dogecoin beyond its origins as an intentionally utility-free joke, pitching it instead as a potential global payment rail. The ETF launch fits into that broader effort to place Dogecoin inside established financial infrastructure.

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