Damodar Kalyan
Nasdaq CEO and President Adena Friedman said on Friday that plans to launch Bitcoin futures for trading is just in early stage. Just a day after Nasdaq officials said to CNBC that they are looking to launch Bitcoin futures contract in the first half of 2018, Friedman comes out with a statement that lacks any assurance on her part. Friedman downplayed and distanced herself from the talks on launch for Bitcoin future trading.
Adena Friedman said, “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.”
In the course of the interview, she did come out with a statement that initial round of talks are on to see if it is an asset worth for trading purposes. “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,” she says.
She admitted that Bitcoin definitely has a future and it is a positive sign that many are accepting it. She said, “There’s the future. That allows for hedging and other trading strategies, and there is also the ETF.”
Mohith Agadi
Editor
