CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, announced the launch of Nasdaq CME Crypto Index futures.
At expiration, these contracts are financially settled to the value of the Nasdaq CME Crypto Settlement Price Index, which measures the performance of the largest and most actively traded cryptocurrencies. As of June 9 the index includes bitcoin and bitcoin cash, ether, SOL, XRP, ADA, LINK, and lumens.
"With trading now officially underway, our new Nasdaq CME Crypto Index futures represent a major milestone in the expansion of our regulated digital asset marketplace," said Giovanni Vicioso, Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products at CME Group. "In today's volatile markets, investors are increasingly seeking diversified exposure to the cryptocurrency ecosystem while retaining the capital efficiencies and transparency of a regulated futures marketplace. These contracts give clients a cost-efficient tool to hedge their risk or directly pursue broad-based crypto opportunities."
"As investor participation in digital assets continues to grow, so does demand for benchmarks built with the same governance and transparency expected in other asset classes," said Sean Wasserman, Head of Index Product Management at Nasdaq. "Futures linked to the index are a natural extension of how index-based frameworks support market development."
"The launch of NCI futures is another sign of crypto's maturation and its ongoing intersection with traditional financial market infrastructure," said Mick McLaughlin, U.S. Chief Executive Officer and Head of Global Distribution, Hashdex Asset Management. "Since 2018, our goal has been to provide investors institutional-quality access to digital assets in the same way they access other asset classes. Today's announcement advances our vision, and represents a meaningful step in allowing investors and advisors to proactively manage and hedge crypto portfolios through a regulated and index-oriented approach.
Nasdaq CME Crypto Index futures are listed on and subject to the rules of CME. For more information on these products, please visit https://www.cmegroup.com/nasdaqcrypto.
