Bitcoin (BTC) futures trading on the Intercontinental Exchange Bakkt platform is seeing a considerable rise in average daily volume so far this month compared to September and most of October. Volumes yesterday, Nov. 5, hit close to their all-time-high — with 1061 traded contracts worth $10 million, a 96% increase over the previous day. According to tracking data compiled by Twitter account Bakkt Volume Bot (@BakktBot) — which is not affiliated with Bakkt but rather with a Dutch journalist and crypto author Gert-Jan Lasterie — the platform had posted its all-time-high for traded contracts on Oct. 25. November on course …

Dubai-based multi-currency and spot/futures exchange, BTSE, unveiled its Monero (XMR) futures trading, Oct. 31. The move makes it one of the first and only exchanges offering futures contracts on the privacy-focussed cryptocurrency. Bucking the trend of exchanges delisting privacy-focused coins BTSE is a relatively unknown, low-volume exchange that is licensed by the Department of Economic Development, Government of Dubai and is under the regulations of the Central Bank of United Arab Emirates, according to its website. The decision to list Monero comes at a time when the popular privacy coin is being delisted from several other exchanges. Despite having proved …

Each time Bitcoin (BTC) rallies past the all-important $10,000 mark, analysts seek to attribute the rise to major events occurring across the industry. The crypto sector is young, volatile and one major announcement can send ripples across the market. In recent weeks, the market was on a downward trend, but a number of major occurrences have lifted the spirits of the industry participants. Bakkt, a company that focuses on driving institutional investment in crypto, has long been hyped as playing an important role in impacting market valuations. But Bakkt’s product launches have not always matched up with its reputation. Back …

The world’s 5th largest crypto exchange OKEx is planning to launch Tether (USDT) futures trading, offering a linear futures contract with leverage of up to 100x. According to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Oct. 29, the contract will have daily settlement and offers supported pairs with Bitcoin (BTC), EOS, Ether (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), XRP, Ethereum Classic (ETC), Bitcoin SV (BSV) and Tron (TRX). Stablecoin-based derivatives can simplify trading OKEx argues that offering stablecoin-based derivatives contracts will offer a simpler and more efficient means for traders to navigate the market and calculate risks. A USDT-based derivative, …

Bitcoin (BTC) futures volumes on digital asset platform Bakkt have hit a new all-time high, with 452 BTC futures contracts traded at press time. Per historical data from Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) — the operator of Bakkt — today the platform has traded 441 Bitcoin futures contracts for November 2019, with the last recorded trading price settling at $7,400 per Bitcoin. 11 futures contracts for December have been sold, with the last recorded trading price at $7,407. Bakkt Bitcoin (USD) monthly futures contract data. Source: ICE Twitter account Bakkt Volume Bot, which carries out live tracking on the platform, indicated that …

The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) hasn’t come to bury Ether, it’s come to regulate it. That was the message drawn from Heath Tarbert’s remarks from the stage at Yahoo Finance’s All Markets Summit in New York City on Oct. 10, which could have important consequences for the crypto and blockchain industry. He went on: “It is my view as Chairman of the CFTC that Ether is a commodity, and therefore it will be regulated under the CEA. And my guess is that you will see in the near future Ether-related futures contracts and other derivatives potentially traded.” …

A crypto derivatives exchange is launching physically delivered futures contracts that will be settled based on whether Facebook’s Libra launches in 2020. According to Bloomberg’s report on Oct. 7, the new offering is slated for launch by the Seychelles-registered CoinFlex exchange via an “initial futures opening” (IFO) on Oct. 24. The IFO concept: betting on tokens that don’t exist yet CoinFlex’s IFO will set the price of a futures contract at 30 cents — reflecting a roughly 30% likelihood that Libra will launch by December 2020. The exchange’s CEO Mark Lamb has told Bloomberg that the price had been set …

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the governing body behind the New York Stock Exchange, has executed the first block trade of Bakkt Bitcoin (BTC) futures contracts. ICE revealed the development in an Oct. 4 press release, specifying that the first Bakkt Bitcoin Futures block trade was executed between digital assets merchant bank Galaxy Digital and crypto investment firm XBTO on Oct. 1. The deal was cleared by agricultural commodities merchant ED&F Man. Following the block trade execution, XBTO stated: “Last week, we bought the first Bakkt Bitcoin Daily Futures contract and took the first physical delivery of a digital asset under existing …

Investment management company Stone Ridge is trying to register a new Bitcoin (BTC) futures offering with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The new fund is called NYDIG Bitcoin Strategy Fund and describes itself as “a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company that continuously offers its shares,” with an objective to achieve capital appreciation by investing in BTC futures contracts, according to an Oct. 2 filing. Cash-settled BTC futures only Detailing its investment strategy, the company noted that the fund will only invest in cash-settled BTC futures traded on commodity exchanges registered with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, …

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group has no current plans to launch physically settled Bitcoin (BTC) contracts, a senior executive has said. Tim McCourt, its global head of equity index and alternative investment products, told MarketsMedia on Oct. 1 that all new contracts or products are driven by customer demand. CME’s new options will be settled in BTC futures CME has been trading BTC futures since December 2017 and recently revealed plans to launch options in the first quarter of 2020, pending regulatory review. Its current Bitcoin futures contracts are settled in cash. McCourt said that “the number one demand …

Just a decade ago, speculating on cryptocurrency prices meant figuring out a way to buy Bitcoin (BTC) and add it to your blockchain wallet. This was a feat that was worthy of bragging rights: In 2010, there were few exchanges, low liquidity and barely any infrastructure, meaning that crypto was less a financial instrument and more a digital novelty. Larger centralized exchanges unlocked the idea that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have relative value and made it possible to speculate on their value versus fiat currency. Since then, a slow proliferation of a variety of crypto derivatives has transpired. This has …

After more than a year spent ensuring full compliance with the United States authorities, Bakkt, the first federally regulated platform for Bitcoin (BTC) futures trading, launched on September 23. Conceived by the global trading giant Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) and counting a solid portfolio of investors from Microsoft’s venture fund M12 to Starbucks as its backers, Bakkt offers institutional traders something brand new. The platform’s value proposition is physically-settled BTC futures contracts, combined with a sound custodial service approved by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Assuming that it is digital assets’ volatility and lack of regulatory safeguards that deters otherwise …