Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), owner of the New York Stock Exchange, could become the latest Wall Street player to offer Bitcoin futures.
More Futures Contracts Hit Wall Street
That was according to the New York Times, which quoted documents and four anonymous sources “briefed” on a proposal for ICE to launch Bitcoin trading options.
If correct, ICE would become the second Wall Street giant to “go Bitcoin” this month, a week after Goldman Sachs appeared to confirm it would offer a raft of Bitcoin options.
According to the reports:
[ICE] has had conversations with other financial institutions about setting up a new operation through which banks can buy a contract, known as a swap, that will end with the customer owning Bitcoin the next day — with the backing and security of the exchange.
The outline broadly reflects Goldman’s initial approach, an executive hinting futures contracts would be the bank’s first offering, followed by more direct interaction with cryptocurrency later on.
Banks Queue Up For ‘Rat Poison’
Amid a lack of official comment from ICE, Goldman’s peripheral comments still stand out against severe criticism of Bitcoin given by Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett this week.
While the infamously anti-crypto mogul referred to Bitcoin variously as “rat poison squared” and “harvested baby brains,” Goldman confirmed it had “concluded Bitcoin is not fraud.”
Elsewhere in the city, Bill Gates weighed in on Bitcoin Monday, telling CNBC it was “a ‘greater fool’ type of investment” but that he nonetheless “would short it if there was an easy way to do it.”
His seemingly contradictory statements met with a challenge from the Winklevoss Twins, whose own Gemini exchange recently announced it would move into the over-the-counter (OTC) trading arena to attract wholesale investors.
Dear @BillGates there is an easy way to short bitcoin. You can short #XBT, the @CBOE Bitcoin (USD) Futures contract, and put your money where your mouth is! cc @CNBC @WarrenBuffett https://t.co/4JIhF5vWsZ
— Tyler Winklevoss (@tylerwinklevoss) May 7, 2018
What do you think about ICE launching Bitcoin trading? Let us know in the comments below!
Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Twitter/@tylerwinklevoss, and Bitcoinist archives.
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