IBLC vs STCE

IBLCBiShares Blockchain and Tech ETF

STCEASchwab Crypto Thematic ETF

In short

IBLC BlackRock's picks-and-shovels take on crypto: roughly 40 global companies that build, run and use blockchain technology. You own the businesses around the coins, in a plain stock ETF, rather than the coins themselves.

STCE Crypto exposure without owning a coin. STCE holds about 40 global companies tied to digital assets and blockchain, chosen by Schwab's own index, at a price that undercuts most thematic funds.

Stated mandate

IBLC The fund seeks to track an index of global companies that develop, innovate in, and apply blockchain and crypto technologies, providing exposure to firms involved in digital transformation and blockchain applications.

STCE The fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, an index providing global exposure to companies that may benefit from developing or using cryptocurrencies and other digital assets, or from business activities tied to blockchain and distributed-ledger technology.

Why people hold it

• IBLC Costs 0.47% a year, under the 0.56% median for its global thematic peer group.
• Holds listed stocks in an ordinary ETF wrapper. No wallet, no coin custody, no crypto exchange account.ishares.com
• The index is rules-based and refreshes as the blockchain universe shifts, so miners, exchanges and chipmakers move in and out on the rules, not a manager's hunch.blackrock.com
• Casts a global net: US and non-US names both qualify, from an iShares desk that has run index funds for decades.ishares.com

• STCE Charges 0.30% a year, roughly half the typical fund in its global thematic group. Schwab billed it as the lowest-cost crypto-related ETF when it launched in 2022.aboutschwab.com
• Stocks, not coins: the index targets companies worldwide that may benefit from cryptocurrencies, digital assets and distributed-ledger technology.schwabassetmanagement.com
• Cheap, straightforward and liquid enough for a niche theme, which puts it in the top quartile of its global thematic peer group.

Worth knowing

• IBLC About 40 names. A handful of crypto-linked businesses steer the ride, and swings can be far sharper than a broad global index.
• Thinly traded and modest in size, so spreads can run wider than at mega-funds, especially during wild crypto sessions.
• Distributions land annually or semiannually at most. This is a theme basket, not an income holding.

• STCE Crypto-linked equities move violently, and with roughly 40 non-diversified names, a stumble at one holding is felt across the fund.aaii.com
• It owns crypto-adjacent businesses, not bitcoin, so its path can diverge from the coins themselves in either direction.aaii.com
• Modest asset base by ETF standards and distributions land only once or twice a year, so this is a theme sleeve rather than an income holding.

Full IBLC profile⁠

Full STCE profile⁠