The owner of the New York Stock Exchange, Intercontinental Exchange, is set to launch its crypto exchange Bakkt next month. The startup aims to offer institutional investors secure new ways to join the crypto craze, including the launch of a physically-delivered Bitcoin futures contract.
Our first contracts will be physically delivered Bitcoin futures contracts versus fiat currencies, including USD, GBP and EUR. For example, buying one USD/BTC futures contract will result in daily delivery of one Bitcoin into the customer’s account.
— Bakkt (@Bakkt) September 25, 2018
Although Bakkt is a highly anticipated endeavor among crypto enthusiasts, new data shows Wall Street investors with deep pockets are already finding ways to enter the crypto market in far greater numbers than people realize.
Hedge funds, for example, have surpassed wealthy individuals as the largest buyers of crypto for purchases valued at over $100,000, according to the head of trading at Cumberland.
As reported by Bloomberg:
“Buyers such as hedge funds have replaced high-net-worth individuals as the biggest buyers of large swaths of digital coins worth more than $100,000 through private transactions, according to Bobby Cho, global head of trading at Cumberland, the Chicago-based cryptocurrency trading unit of DRW Holdings LLC, which handles the over-the-counter purchases…
‘One of the biggest criticisms of crypto by institutional investors has been the volatility,’ Cho said. ‘Over the last four to six months, the market has been trading in a very tight range, and that seems to be corresponding with traditional financial institutions becoming more comfortable diving into the space.’ A third of DRW’s transactions are happening during Asia hours, he said.”
As for Bakkt, the new platform is a joint venture with Microsoft, Boston Consulting Group and Starbucks, and is designed to realize a grand vision. In addition to launching a mainstream crypto exchange, the project aims to clear a path that allows companies to offer Bitcoin mutual funds, pension funds and more.
As reported by Fortune, the company also plans to create apps that give people easy ways to spend Bitcoin and forget about their credit and debit cards. An exact date has not been set for the launch of Bakkt, although the company says the roll out will start in November.
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