Nasdaq Considers Becoming a Cryptocurrency Trading Platform

On the evening of April 25th, Beijing time, Adna Friedman, CEO of Nasdaq Exchange, said that once the time is right, Nasdaq can become a platform for trading cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

According to CNBC, Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman said in an interview with CNBC: "At present, we are just paying attention. Only when people are ready for a regulated market, Nasdaq will definitely consider becoming a crypto exchange over time. Because only regulation can provide fairness for investors."

Friedman also said, "Although I am optimistic about the prospects of digital assets, the market is currently facing a key obstacle, which is regulation. Only by solving this problem can Nasdaq become a cryptocurrency exchange." At the same time, Friedman also said, "I believe that digital currencies will continue to exist, and Nasdaq is willing to provide investors with such a regulated market, but it will take some time for this regulation to mature. And Nasdaq also supports existing cryptocurrency exchanges."

On Wednesday, Nasdaq Inc. announced a partnership with cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, co-founded by bitcoin investors Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss. Gemini CEO Tyler Winklevoss said in a statement that the deal gives Gemini access to Nasdaq’s surveillance technology to ensure the platform provides a fair and “rules-based market” for their own participants.

While Nasdaq CEO Friedman is optimistic about the future of cryptocurrencies, she is less optimistic about the fundraising process, saying that ICOs need to be regulated and that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is right.

The SEC has previously cracked down on ICO fraud in 2018. In March of this year, the SEC said it was seeking to apply securities laws to everything from cryptocurrency exchanges to digital asset storage companies. SEC Chairman Jay Clayton said regulators are investing "significant resources" in the ICO market.