The United States Bitcoin (BTC) derivatives market witnessed a slew of developments in 2019 as “old players” set trading volume records and “new players” introduced novel market products. After months of regulatory maneuvering, Bakkt finally launched and has gone on to post record Bitcoin futures trading volumes. Several platforms have also obtained Swap Execution Facility licenses from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission as the crypto derivatives arena in the country expanded throughout 2019. One of the 19 CFTC-licensed platforms, Tassat, said the approval is a preliminary step to the company listing physically settled Bitcoin derivatives for institutional clients. Overall, …

Bitcoin (BTC) rose above $7,100 on Dec. 16 to just hit a fresh “gap” in futures markets, continuing a trend that has captured analysts. Cryptocurrency market daily overview. Source: Coin360 Bitcoin fails to convince traders Data from Coin360 showed BTC/USD spike to daily highs of $7,145 on Monday, having spent much of the previous 12 hours below the $7,100 mark. Bitcoin 7-day price chart. Source: Coin360 The uptick allowed Bitcoin to reach the lower echelons of a gap left by CME’s Bitcoin futures when they closed on Friday. As Cointelegraph recently noted, Bitcoin has set a precedent for returning to …

Paris-based asset management firm Napoleon AM announced the launch of a regulated Bitcoin (BTC) fund, the Napoleon Bitcoin Fund. The company announced in a press release that the fund was created on Nov. 8 and is a specialized professional fund under French law. The company claims that its product is one of the first regulated vehicles giving exposure to Bitcoin’s price movements. The product — with daily liquidity — aims to provide portfolio diversification to institutional and professional investors. The fund replicate the performance of futures listed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in cash settlement. High hopes for Bitcoin’s potential …

Multi-currency and spot/futures exchange BTSE plans to host the first-ever native exchange token sale based on a Bitcoin (BTC) sidechain. The exchange seeks to raise $50 million, Finance Magnates reports on Dec. 10, with minimum investments set at $150,000. BTSE’s choice to host its offering on a Bitcoin sidechain sets it apart from other exchange tokens, which largely use either the Ethereum network or an in-house blockchain. Specifically, BTSE will release its token on the Liquid Network: a federated sidechain on the Bitcoin blockchain that functions as a settlement and payments network for crypto exchanges, market makers, brokers and other …

Binance, the second-biggest cryptocurrency exchange by daily trading volume at press time, now supports Bitcoin (BTC) futures trading on its new iOS app. After Binance initially launched its two futures testnet platforms on Sept. 2, the exchange now allows its users to trade Bitcoin and Ether (ETH) futures contracts via its newly released iOS application, according to a blog post on Dec. 9. BTC and ETH futures trading is also available on Android According to the firm, Binance iOS app users can now trade BTC/USDT contracts at up to 125x leverage, while ETH/USDT contracts are capped at 50x leverage. The …

The Intercontinental Exchange (ICE)’s digital asset platform Bakkt has launched the first regulated Bitcoin (BTC) options and cash-settled futures in the United States. According to an announcement on Dec. 9, Bakkt is now using its physically settled Bitcoin contracts as a benchmark to build complementary products. Bakkt’s monthly futures contract will be a benchmark for other new products The news was announced in a blog post by Bakkt COO Adam White. The post reads: “By starting with the physically delivered Bakkt Bitcoin (USD) Monthly Futures, we have a benchmark contract that provides the foundation for us to develop complementary products …

Bitcoin (BTC) futures open interest on digital asset platform Bakkt has hit a new all-time high. According to a Dec. 3 Twitter post published on Dec. 3 by Bakkt Volume Bot — a Twitter account dedicated to reporting Bakkt trading volumes — Monday’s open interest on Bakkt Bitcoin futures reached a new all-time high of $6.5 million. In futures markets, open interest is the number of open contracts in the market and is often used to indicate the health of the market. When there is a large amount of open interest, new or additional capital is flowing in. Regularly breaking …

Bitcoin (BTC) is statistically likely to gain in the coming week as a new futures expiration event comes and goes, according to new data. Compiled by trader an analyst Luke Martin on Nov. 25, figures charting Bitcoin price performance before and after each expiration show that overall, higher levels appear afterward. Data: BTC stands to gain next week Martin used CME Group’s monthly futures as a basis. Among the first futures to hit the market in December 2017, their settlement dates — of which Friday was one — have already attracted attention as a force for moving price. Bitcoin price …

Bitcoin (BTC) educator Andreas Antonopoulos says that while futures markets may indeed place a damper on the cryptocurrency’s price, the stakes are different to what you might think. In a Nov. 27 interview with YouTuber “Ivan on Tech,” Antonopoulos argued against the grain of commonplace fears about the adverse price impact that Bitcoin futures trading has on spot prices. He suggested it’s the speculators — not the HODLers — who truly have something to fear. It’s not conspiracy: “it’s the Treasury’s job” Cash-settled Bitcoin futures — which have been trading since December 2017 on both the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) …

Bitcoin (BTC) institutional trading platform Bakkt has set another giant new record for its futures contracts, topping 5,600 BTC on the day. As the company confirmed on Twitter, Nov. 27 saw a fresh all-time volume high for Bakkt’s monthly Bitcoin futures. During the session, Bakkt reported 4,443 BTC traded — over 60% higher than its previous record. Bakkt doubles Bitcoin futures record Subsequently, non-affiliated monitoring resource Bakkt Bot counted an even higher total for the day — 5,671 BTC ($42.5 million). According to Bakkt Bot, the previous record in dollar terms was $20.3 million Nov. 22, making Wednesday’s achievement 109% …

Bitcoin (BTC) futures daily volumes on digital asset platform Bakkt have hit a new all-time high, according to data from Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). More than $20.3 million was traded in Bitcoin — or 2728 futures contracts — on Nov. 22. 30% higher than the previous daily volume record The new volume record represents a 66% increase over the previous day and is roughly 30% higher than the previous all-time high on Nov. 8. Bakkt daily volume & open interest chart | Source: BakktVolumeBot Major price moves coincide with big volume Additionally, yesterday’s open interest is currently $1.75 million, a 29% …

Institutional Bitcoin (BTC) trading platform Bakkt has announced it has launched its custody feature for its entire client base following regulatory approval. Bakkt: custody is “critical link” in BTC adoption In a blog post on Nov. 11, Bakkt said it had received the go-ahead from the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) to offer custody services to any institution. Previously, the option was only available for those trading its Bitcoin futures. Commenting on the release, Bakkt described the custody tool as “the critical link in the institutional adoption of Bitcoin.” “Safely storing digital assets demands a comprehensive approach to …