London Stock Exchange’s LCH is set to offer Bitcoin futures and options

• London Stock Exchange’s clearing house unit is set to offer Bitcoin futures and options to its investors
• The new feature will roll out in collaboration with FCA regulated digital asset exchange GFO-X

The London Stock Exchange Group will soon offer Bitcoin [BTC] futures and options to investors through LCH. LCH happens to be a British clearing house group that caters to major international exchanges including the LSE.

Furthermore, LCH SA, a subsidiary of the clearing house group, will provide clearing services for Bitcoin index derivatives. This would take place in collaboration with Global Futures and Options (GFO-X).

LCH partners up with GFO-X exchange for BTC futures

According to a press release by LCH SA, the clearing house firm will provide clearing services for cash-settled BTC index futures and options contracts traded on GFO-X. GFO-X is the UK’s first regulated and centrally cleared trading venue dedicated to digital asset derivatives authorized and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Furthermore, LCH SA will provide traders of the crypto exchange access to clearing of crypto derivatives in a regulated environment. The clearing house firm plans to facilitate this venture through a new segregated clearing service, LCH DigitalAssetClear.

Market participants also helped finalize the details of the new venture. Furthermore, regulatory approval would enable the offering of these services. The Bitcoin futures and options contracts will be cash-settled through LCH DigitalAssetClear. 

Additionally, it will be based on the GFO-X/Coin Metrics Bitcoin Reference Rate (GCBRR), a BMR-compliant reference rate of the U.S. dollar price of Bitcoin.

“Bitcoin index futures and options are a rapidly growing asset class, with increasing interest among institutional market participants looking for access within a regulated environment they are familiar with. Offering centralized clearing for these cash-settled dollar-denominated crypto derivatives contracts on GFO-X is an important development for the market,” said Frank Soussan, Head of LCH DigitalAssetClear.

This development will do well to restore investors’ confidence in the crypto sector amid regulatory concerns around the world. 

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