NASDAQ head: Bitcoin futures platform still at early stages, no launch date specified

“We actually haven't announced anything. Really, we are continuing to evaluate whether Bitcoin can be an asset class that can exist in a more regulated market environment”, told Adena Friedman at the recent technology event in Finland when asked about the recent reports on the Bitcoin futures platform made by NASDAQ. She heads this company, and the previous reports cited unspecified representatives of the company, who clearly talked less formally.

Two assumptions can be made on this statement. One – Friedman tells how things really are with this platform, and two – she downplays the actual development status of the platform. Anyway, she also implied that no matter the development status, they seriously assess the possibilities of Bitcoin:

“I would just say that we have been having active dialogue with a lot of clients and with partners about what might be possible over time.”

Tor Bair, Head of Growth and Marketing Strategy at Enigma, a data marketplace protocol, recently told journalists: "The launch of Bitcoin futures on Nasdaq and Cantor Fitzgerald's announcement that it is currently seeking to launch Bitcoin derivatives on its exchange are additional signals of the increasing demand for cryptoassets. These moves will bring new professional interest in cryptoasset investment and trading. As new cryptofinancial assets and products for the broader market are created, sophisticated investors and traders will demand more usable and trusted cryptofinancial data and the tools to act on that data."

Meanwhile in Russia, the local Central Bank, according to the sources who provided the info to some large regional media outlets, has forbidden the Moscow Stock Exchange to launch Bitcoin futures trades. In simple terms, the bank made it clear that the MSE better not even think about something similar before the coming of the local cryptocurrency legislation. As most experts agree, these laws will allow some regulated Bitcoin operations while directly forbidding some other types, for example, Bitcoin will almost certainly not be a currency Russians will be able to pay with in a shop.