Nasdaq Inc. and broker Cantor Fitzgerald LP are looking to join the rush on Wall Street to trade bitcoin, which hit a record on Wednesday. Nasdaq aims to launch bitcoin futures in the first half of 2018, according to people familiar with the situation. Separately, Cantor said it is seeking to launch bitcoin derivatives on an exchange it...
Nasdaq has reportedly briefed market participants on its plans to launch bitcoin futures on its Nasdaq Futures platform in H1 2018. Nasdaq hopes to differentiate its offering by designing a futures contract that more effectively tracks the global bitcoin price, according to reports. The move would be an attempt to capitalize on growing interest from institutional investors and retail investors, who have been clamoring for access to cryptocurrency futures. The ability to trade on futures in bitcoin could represent a moment of maturity for the cryptocurrency, making bitcoin trading more accessible to banks and investors.