Nasdaq Wins SEC Approval for Bitcoin Index Options
US regulators have cleared Nasdaq to list options tied directly to a Bitcoin price index. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the proposal on an 'accelerated basis' according to a filing made public Friday and reports from Bloomberg.
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; they are cash-settled, European-style options, meaning traders settle gains and losses in dollars and can exercise only at expiration.
The approval widens the menu for institutional and retail traders in the United States. Until now, their main tools were Bitcoin futures options at CME Group and options tied to spot funds such as the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF.