Chicago Board Options Exchange to Launch Bitcoin Futures, Announces Specifics

The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) has released its new Bitcoin derivative contract specifications in late November 2017, with the product itself to be introduced in the market in the next few weeks. With the move, the exchange follows other financial institutions in introducing Bitcoin futures products.The CBOE will use the XBT ticker for its new products. The ticker is exactly the same as the one being used by Bitcoin exchange Kraken in its platform. It is also expected that CBOE will introduce different types of contracts in the near future in its bid to secure a major market share quickly. The product launching, however, will be mainly dependent on the performance of its new products. High demand for Bitcoin-based financial products The demand for Bitcoin-based financial products is very high right now because of the continuous surge in the price of the number one cryptocurrency. Several financial institutions have also taken a complete turnaround on their assessment of Bitcoin.Among them is Goldman Sachs, which is now advising its investors not to ignore Bitcoin anymore. This is a complete about-face by the investment bank, which has previously criticized the digital currency.The high demand for Bitcoin futures and derivatives products is resulting in very tough competitions among industry players. With the entry of CBOE, competition is expected to intensify further because the exchange is the biggest of its kind in the US. It remains to be seen, however, if the exchange can outperform its competitors in this area.To effectively compete, there are issues that should be resolved by the exchange. Among these issues is how to relate its contracts to spot Bitcoin pricing. The exchange previously announced that it will extend its trading hours and all its Bitcoin-related transactions will be settled in cash. Whether these strategies are effective, however, remain to be seen.