INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
By Ben BainNasdaq is moving ahead with a plan to list Bitcoin futures, according to two people familiar with the matter, betting on
The New York exchange operator, which was first reported to be eyeing Bitcoin futures last year, wants to allow trading in the first quarter
of 2019, one of the people said.
Bitcoin futures briefly captivated the financial world -- and drew resistance from large derivatives
brokerages -- when CME Group and Cboe Global Markets used an expedited self-certification process to bring their contracts to market last
December at the height of the global crypto craze
Despite lofty hopes that Bitcoin futures would usher in a new era of institutional crypto investment, trading in them has been modest and
the digital currency has plunged from around $20,000 to less than $4,000.
After CME and Cboe listed their contracts, the CFTC announced an
enhanced review process for exchanges looking to list virtual currency derivatives.
Back in January, Nasdaq Chief Executive Officer Adena
Friedman said the exchange was weighing how to distinguish its plans from contracts already offered by competitors
New York Stock Exchange owner Intercontinental Exchange said last week it will launch its own contracts on January 24.
Nasdaq officials
