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As the crypto industry is getting more adopted and regulated, traditional trading platforms are starting to slowly but surely open their doors to it, as well. Of course, this change is not coming at the same pace throughout the world. For example, the US regulators are still completely opposing the idea of a Bitcoin ETF.
In Europe, however, the situation is moving at a greater speed, and its largest derivatives exchange, Eurex, just announced the upcoming listing of the first Bitcoin ETN futures.
Details about the upcoming Bitcoin futures
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According to the announcement, Bitcoin futures will be launched by the leading provider of digital asset-backed securities — ETC Group. The listing is scheduled to happen on September 13th of this year, which is in less than three weeks.
The listing is very important for the future of crypto in Europe, as it will allow traditional investors to access futures contracts based on ETC Group’s BTCetc Physical Bitcoin, otherwise known as BTCE. This was the world’s first exchange-traded product, and its futures are coming due to the massive institutional demand across Europe.
Now that the safe, coin-free way of investing in digital currencies has emerged, it seems that everyone wants to take it, and entities like ETC Group are more than happy to help. With Eurex being a completely regulated and trustworthy platform, it is likely that even those who did not request BTC futures up until now might still try them out through small investments. Such experiments will likely lead to further involvement, once investors realize the potential of crypto.
Europe leads in Bitcoin adoption, while the US is falling behind
Moves like this are putting the European markets and regulatory environment significantly ahead of the US, with the country missing out on opportunities that would, otherwise, allow it to cement its position as a leader in crypto.
Numerous European countries have opened their doors to digital currencies in one way or another, while the US remains indifferent. Europe is also bringing new laws that now favor the crypto industry more than ever before, with countries like Switzerland, Germany, and alike granting the industry more and more rights.
Also, the matter of launching a Bitcoin ETF in Europe is now a matter of when, and not if, as Grayscale’s CEO, Michael Sonnenschein recently stated.