A short time ago it was reported that Nasdaq is interested in investing in Bitcoin futures in 2019 and now it is official as Joseph Christinat, Nasdaq Vice President, confirmed the launch of Nasdaq Bitcoin futures in 2019. According to him, CFTC regulatory approval is the only thing that is still needed.
We now know that Nasdaq worked the entire year to prepare this launch, after studying this asset class for years. The impending listing was confirmed in an interview with Express Magazine. Joseph Christinat said:
Bitoin Futures will be listed and it should launch in the first half of next year – we’re just waiting for the go-ahead from the CFTC but there’s been enough work put into this to make that academic. We’ve seen plenty of speculation and rumors about what we might be doing, but no one has thought to come to us and ask if we can confirm it, so, here you go – we’re doing this, and it’s happening.
Bitcoin is now struggling around the $4,000 area but volatility did manage to attract investors and traders. Nasdaq was always invested in cryptocurrencies, although nothing was official in the past. Christinat went on to say:
We got into the blockchain game 5 years ago, and when the technology first popped up we just leant out of the window and shouted ‘hey come over here’ right at it. We’ve put a hell of a lot of money and energy into delivering the ability to do this and we’ve been all over it for a long time – way before the market went into turmoil, and that will not affect the timing of this in any way. No. Period. We’re doing this no matter what.
Although it is not yet seen in Bitcoin value, the market did respond in a positive way. Usability is going to be encouraged and bitcoin liquidity automatically increases. The fact that Nasdaq will list Bitcoin futures practically means that the cryptocurrency is further legitimized. This could lead to higher acceptance in the long run.
The rumors that Nasdaq was interested in launching the Bitcoin futures appeared at the end of November, around 1 year after Nasdaq said that it wants to do this. A lot has happened during that year. Bitcoin price went up and down, now reaching a really low price.
Keep in mind that when CBOE Global Markets Inc. and CME Group Inc. listed their Bitcoin futures, it was a huge driver for the Bitcoin rally. It is possible that at the start of 2019 we will see a big price increase.
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