Intercontinental Exchange's new Bakkt subsidiary has received the regulatory green light to start offering custody and physically delivered Bitcoin futures contracts.
The unit will debut its Bitcoin futures and warehouse on 23 September after securing a charter from the New York State Department of Financial Services.
The CFTC has already approved the daily and monthly futures, which will be exchange-traded on ICE Futures US and cleared on ICE Clear US.
The new offering gives customers "unprecedented regulatory clarity and security alongside a regulated, globally accessible exchange in a market underserved by institutional-grade infrastructure," says Bakkt CEO Kelly Loeffler in a blog.
Adds Loeffler: "Uniquely, Bakkt bitcoin futures contracts will not rely upon unregulated spot markets for settlement prices, thus serving as a transparent price discovery mechanism for the benchmark price for bitcoin."
The futures launch could be just the beginning for Bakkt, which was unveiled last August by ICE alongside Microsoft, Starbucks and Boston Consulting Group, with the promise to build a seamless global for people and firms to buy, sell store and spend digital assets.