The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced today that it has issued a registration order to LedgerX LLC (LedgerX), granting it status with the CFTC as a Swap Execution Facility (SEF).
LedgerX is an institutional trading and clearing platform which has been patiently waiting for full regulatory approval from the CFTC to trade and clear options on bitcoin.
It is now the first federally regulated bitcoin options exchange and clearinghouse which will list and clear fully-collateralized, physically-settled bitcoin options for the institutional market.
Back in May, Ledger Holdings, the parent company of LedgerX, closed $ 11.4 Million in Series B financing. Led by Miami International Holdings Inc. and Huiyin Blockchain Venture Investments, this funding will go to support LedgerX’s plan to develop its regulated exchange and clearinghouse for bitcoin and other digital currencies.
On December 16, 2016, Ledger Holdings and Miami International Holdings, Inc. (MIH), the parent holding company of the MIAX Options Exchange, jointly announced that MIH had completed an investment in Ledger Holdings. Early investors in Ledger Holdings include Google Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
SEFs are platforms that operate under the CFTC’s regulatory oversight for the trading of swaps. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Act) authorized the creation of SEFs.