Nasdaq Secures Approval for Bitcoin Options Tied to CME CF Index

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has given its approval for Nasdaq to list options tied directly to a Bitcoin price index, opening up new routes for stock-market traders to bet on the asset.

The contracts will trade on Nasdaq PHLX under the ticker QBTC and track the CME CF Bitcoin Real Time Index, which pulls valuations from major spot venues every 200 milliseconds. These are not spot Bitcoin ETFs but rather cash-settled, European-style options, meaning traders settle gains and losses in dollars and can exercise only at expiration.

This approval widens the menu for institutional and retail traders in the United States, providing an alternative to Bitcoin futures options at CME Group and options tied to spot funds such as the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF. David Barrett, Nasdaq's head of U.S. options, called this decision an important step in expanding regulated, transparent access to digital asset derivatives.