Digital assets trading venue GFO-X has launched its FCA-regulated trading venue for centrally cleared assets.
Arnab Sen
The new trading venue is set to will provide clients with institutional-grade market infrastructure, central clearing and deep liquidity – working to bridge the gap between traditional finance and digital assets.
The launch also addresses the recent institutional surge in the global market for digital asset derivatives, according to the firm, with a particular focus on options and futures trading volumes.
Arnab Sen, chief executive of GFO-X, said: “The launch of GFO-X is a further foundational step toward increased institutional digital asset derivatives trading, providing the infrastructure, central clearing, robust risk mitigation, and liquidity.”
Additionally, the new trading venue is also expected to help institutional clients hedge risks, enhance yield strategies and gain crypto market exposure with increased regulatory clarity, as the market turns increasingly towards digital asset derivatives.
Following the launch the first institutional trade has been executed – between Virtu Financial and IMC on GFO-X, which was then centrally cleared through LCH DigitalAssetClear.
Marcus Robinson, head of DigitalAssetClear and CDSClear at LCH, explained: “The regulated clearing infrastructure within LSEG’s post trade ecosystem has allowed us to build something meaningful for our participants and address the availability of options for a rapidly growing asset class.”
Read more – M&G Investments leads $30 million Series B funding round for GFO-X
GFO-X confirmed that it will continue to align with expanding institutional adoption, with an initial focus on Bitcoin index futures and options.
The firm named ABN AMRO Clearing, IMC, Standard Chartered Bank and Virtu Financial as strategic partners in December 2024, and further financial institutions are also expected to integrate with the new offering.
Moreover, in December 2023, M&G Investments led a $30 million Series B funding round to assist with the launch and support future innovation.