The cryptocurrency space is a space we believe in,” CBOE’s chief operating officer told analysts in a call on Tuesday according to the FT; they also noted that the CBOE is in talks with the CFTC to offer futures on bitcoin; this move follows what the CME said last week that it planned to add bitcoin as well. Source.
DRW is a firm focusing on trading cryptocurrencies; the Chicago based firm has about a dozen employees working on crypto trading through a subsidiary called Cumberland Mining; there are several other firms operating in this area as well including Jump Trading, DV Trading and Hehmeyer Trading + Investments; volatility in other asset classes is low, making crypto an attractive asset class for these firms. Source
The high volatility in cryptocurrency prices has created an opportunity for high frequency traders looking for alternatives; the stock market has been steadily rising but their has rarely been a daily jump or drop of more than one percent; while there has no been wide adoption of the strategy more firms have begun trading in the space as the market cap continues to rise. Source.
There have been a lot of executives recently who have expressed their opinions about cryptocurrencies; while many people agree that the technology behind bitcoin has huge potential, there are a wide variety of opinions about cryptocurrencies; Lend Academy shares quotes from Jamie Dimon (JP Morgan), Larry Fink (Blackrock), Mike Novogratz (Galaxy Digital Assets Fund), James Gorman (Morgan Stanley),Axel Weber (UBS), Christine Lagarde (Head of the International Monetary Fund) and Lloyd Blankfein (Goldman Sachs). Source
The challenger bank is working to add bitcoin, litecoin and ethereum; Revolut customers will also be able to transfer cryptocurrencies to others; what makes what they’re working on unique is allowing an instant conversion to happen within the app; typically users must have an account on a crypto exchange where funds are transferred between accounts; the firm is currently testing features with 3,000 customers. Source
The Global Digital Asset Exchange or GDAX is looking to list initial coin offerings that have thus far shown some level of success; the exchange has started too come under pressure to increase listings as investor interest in ICOs continues to stay red hot; as they try to meet demand they also want to be sure to not list too many and end up having startups that don’t deliver; GDAX is looking for track record of success, real world implementation and helps to create an open financial system. Source.
Speaking at the Financial Investment Initiative event the former founder of PayPal thinks that bitcoin detractors could be underestimating the currency’s potential; as CoinDesk reports, “underestimating [it] especially because ... it's like a reserve form of money, it's like gold, and it's just a store of value. You don't need to use it to make payments."; he has in the past criticized bitcoin and is not bullish on all cryptocurrencies. Source.
Business Insider takes a look at the worldwide regulations surrounding the emerging Cryptocurrency market; in addition to cryptocurrencies they also take a deeper look at the regulatory structure beginning to be built around blockchain technology; regions covered include the US, Europe, China and more. Source.
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority and Cyprus’s CySEC have issued warnings to retail traders on contracts for difference based on cryptocurrencies; CFD trading based on the digital currencies has started to become popular with the volatility in bitcoin; regulators are worried that retail investors will suffer significant losses and are looking to limit leverage as a result; this continues a worldwide trend by regulators as they get a handle on the growing crypto asset class. Source.
In a move that goes counter to the current regulatory trend the Taiwanese government has taken a positive approach to the new cryptocurrency market; "Just because China and South Korea are banning, doesn't mean that Taiwan should follow suit – there is a huge opportunity for growth in the future,” explained Wellington Koo, Chairman of Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission. Source.