Nasdaq Wins SEC Approval to List Bitcoin Index Options
U.S. regulators have cleared Nasdaq to list options tied directly to a Bitcoin price index, opening up new opportunities for stock-market traders to bet on the asset.
The 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 updates valuations every 200 milliseconds from major spot venues.
These are not spot Bitcoin ETFs; they're cash-settled, European-style options that limit the chance of early assignment. Traders settle gains and losses in dollars, and can only exercise 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.
Nasdaq's head of U.S. options, David Barrett, called the decision an important step in expanding regulated, transparent access to digital asset derivatives.