BME Clearing has been approved to provide clearing for USD-denominated bitcoin and ethereum futures by the Spanish regulatory authority, Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV).
This represents part of the Spanish clearing house’s plans to offer central counterparty clearing services for a new digital asset derivatives segment targeted at institutional investors.
This, it suggests, will extend institutional access to digital assets through a secure and tightly regulated environment, enhancing trading, clearing and cash settlement flexibility for this institutional segment.
Commenting on this initiative, SIX’s head of clearing and repo operations José Manuel Ortiz, says: “This milestone reflects our dedication to empowering institutions, clients and investors with innovative solutions, contributing to the continued growth of the digital asset ecosystem, and ensuring a secure and efficient trading experience for all our valued customers”.
SIX Group’s acquisition of the Spanish market infrastructure operator BME Group was finalised in June 2020.