Cryptocurrency exchange OKEx plans to launch Tether (USDT) futures margin trading in October, the firm confirmed in an email to Cointelegraph on Sept. 23. An OKEx spokesperson said that Tether futures are scheduled to be launched next month, though the exact launch date has not been set as of yet. They explained: “We are planning to launch USDT margin futures. But at this stage, we are aiming to launch in October and still pending on the exact launch schedule.” As Cointelegraph reported earlier today, OKEx has refuted fresh allegations of manipulative practices such as wash trading on its platform. Crypto …

18 Bitcoin (BTC) in volume has been traded since the launch of Bitcoin futures on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE)’s Bakkt platform yesterday, Sept. 22. The much-anticipated contracts — the first of their kind to be physically settled in Bitcoin — went live at 8 PM EST on Sept. 22 (00:00 UTC Sept. 23). The first hours Bakkt ™ Bitcoin (USD) Monthly Futures Contract. Source: ICE As of the most recently available data at the time of writing, 18 BTC has been traded, with a last recorded trading price of $10, 042.50/BTC. Many crypto commentators have commented on the apparently slight …

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group is adding options to its Bitcoin (BTC) futures contracts in the first quarter of 2020, pending regulatory review. The development was announced in a news release on Sept. 20. “Flexibility to hedge Bitcoin price risk” Tim McCourt — CME Group Global Head of Equity Index and Alternative Investment Products — said: "Based on increasing client demand and robust growth in our Bitcoin futures markets, we believe the launch of options will provide our clients with additional flexibility to trade and hedge their bitcoin price risk." McCourt added that the new products are intended to …

Over the course of the past few weeks, the global cryptocurrency community bore witness to two major announcements related to stablecoins — with the first being the launch of Paxos’s gold-backed Ethereum token, PAX Gold (PAXG), and the other being the release of Binance’s cryptocoin backed by the United States dollar (BUSD). Paxos, a global digital asset trust firm, announced the launch of its PAXG token via a press release a few days back. In the document, the firm claims that its product is the world’s first crypto asset to be fully redeemable in exchange for physical gold. Not only …

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group’s Bitcoin (BTC) futures saw an average daily volume of $515 million in May 2019. Forbes reports on Aug. 28 that the CME Group’s Bitcoin futures are seeing new records in trading activity. CME Group’s managing director Tim McCourt said that in May, Bitcoin futures were, “trading an average of more than 13,600 contracts each day, equal to ~$515 million in notional value or 68K equivalent bitcoins.” Record trading volumes McCourt also noted that, on May 13, Bitcoin traded a record daily volume of 33,677 contracts, equivalent to over 168,000 BTC ($1.705 billion as of …

Changpeng Zhao, CEO of top crypto exchange Binance, announced that the platform will launch futures trading in September. Zhao voiced this statement on Twitter during an “ask me anything” session on Aug. 28. According to Cointelegraph Japan, the company also “announced its focus on the staking business.” As Cointelegraph reported on July 2, Zhao revealed the company plans to launch a futures trading platform with initial support for BTC/USDT contracts at a leverage of up to 20x. The CEO made his announcement during a keynote speech delivered at the Asia Blockchain Summit in Taipei. According to Cointelegraph’s reporter at the …

Bakkt has announced the coming launch of its much-anticipated platform for daily and monthly futures in the United States in a blog post on Aug. 16. Having received approval from the necessary regulators, the launch is scheduled for Sept. 23. Bakkt’s physically delivered futures have been the subject of a great deal of anticipation, with the company initially announcing its launch August 2018 before being subject to repeated delays over compliance issues. Satisfying the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has proven particularly challenging. The company began testing in earnest on July 22, as Cointelegraph reported at the time. Per the …

Earlier this week, United States-regulated crypto derivatives and clearing platform LedgerX was reported to launch the first physically settled Bitcoin futures contracts in the country, therefore stealing a march on Bakkt and ErisX. However, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) soon refuted that information by stating that the exchange has not yet been properly cleared by the agency. Now, a LedgerX official has told Cointelegraph that the media publication that broke the news — CoinDesk — had “misunderstood the scope of the launch,” which in turn led to the confusing publication. Meanwhile, the exchange’s CEO is threatening to sue the …

Bakkt, the long-awaited Bitcoin (BTC) futures platform from the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), has begun testing the delivery of BTC futures, according to an official tweet on July 22. Per the tweet, user acceptance testing for Bitcoin daily and monthly futures began today with participants from around the world. The platform initially announced the launch of futures testing in June, when Bakkt COO Adam White stated, “On July 22, two days after Apollo 11’s 50th anniversary, Bakkt will initiate user acceptance testing for its Bitcoin futures listed and traded at ICE Futures U.S. and cleared at ICE Clear US.” White then …

Managing director and quant strategist at Fundstrat Global Advisors Sam Doctor suggested in a Twitter post published on July 19 that Bakkt’s Bitcoin (BTC) futures contracts will launch this quarter. According to the post, which includes a summary of Fundstrat’s takeaways from the Bakkt Digital Asset Summit held on July 18, the firm’s futures will launch in the current quarter. The launch is set to follow tests announced last month, which are scheduled to start next week. The firm believes that the launch will be a catalyst to accelerate entry of traditional institutional investors. The post notes: “There appears to …

Are there any downsides of trading crypto derivatives? All trading strategies related to price fluctuations imply a certain level of risk, especially combined with the lack of relevant regulation for the crypto derivatives sector. When it comes to crypto derivatives, the biggest risk that traders face is volatility. Prices can rise and fall at speeds that make your head spin, and losses can be amplified substantially whenever someone is trading on margin. To better help mitigate these risks, a tiered maintenance margin ratio system has been adopted by OKEx to avoid the liquidation of large positions, events that can have …

British financial watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), is preparing a potential ban on the sale of crypto derivatives to retail investors, according to an official document released on July 1. In the document, titled “Restricting contract for difference products sold to retail clients,” the FCA revealed that the regulator will soon publish a consultation paper (CP) on a potential ban on crypto derivatives such as bitcoin (BTC) futures and other crypto-related trading products. The FCA wrote: “We will shortly publish a CP on a potential ban on the sale to retail clients of derivatives and certain transferable securities that …