Nasdaq, CME Unite Crypto Indexes Under New Benchmark
Nasdaq and CME Group have unified their crypto indexing efforts underneath a single benchmark, reintroducing the Nasdaq Crypto Index because the Nasdaq-CME Crypto Index.
Key Takeaways:
- Nasdaq and CME Group unified their crypto benchmarks to create a single, multi-asset index aimed toward institutional buyers.
- The Nasdaq-CME Crypto Index is designed to reflect conventional market requirements.
- The index helps a rising ecosystem of regulated merchandise.
The announcement deepens a partnership between the 2 market infrastructure suppliers that stretches again practically three many years, according to Nasdaq.
The revamped index is designed to function a foundational benchmark for buyers looking for publicity past single-asset crypto methods, as regulatory readability and institutional participation proceed to broaden.
CME Says New Crypto Index Aims to Match Traditional Market Standards
“This is not only a reputation change,” mentioned Giovanni Vicioso, govt director of fairness and various merchandise at CME Group.
He described the index as a mixture of two established market requirements supposed to ship governance and diversification similar to conventional asset courses.
The Nasdaq-CME Crypto Index tracks a basket of main digital property, together with Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, Chainlink, Cardano, and Avalanche.
Nasdaq mentioned the index is constructed to replicate the broader crypto market quite than concentrating solely on Bitcoin, a shift that mirrors how buyers strategy equities and different asset courses.
Sean Wasserman, head of index product administration at Nasdaq, mentioned buyers are more and more gravitating towards index-based publicity because the crypto market grows extra complicated.
“We see the index-based strategy because the course buyers are heading, past simply Bitcoin,” he mentioned, pointing to similarities with the evolution of fairness and commodity markets.
Governance and transparency are central to the index’s construction. The benchmark is calculated by CF Benchmarks and overseen by a joint governance committee, with eligibility guidelines, liquidity thresholds, and quarterly rebalancing outlined in a printed methodology.
Executives mentioned this framework is designed to align with institutional threat and compliance expectations.
The launch additionally builds on Nasdaq and CME Group’s lengthy historical past of collaboration, which started with Nasdaq-100 futures within the Nineties and later expanded into one of many world’s most liquid fairness index derivatives ecosystems.
Earlier this 12 months, the 2 companies prolonged their Nasdaq-100 licensing settlement for one more decade.
Beyond benchmarking, the index is anticipated to underpin a wider vary of regulated merchandise, together with exchange-traded funds and structured funding autos.
Nasdaq mentioned the index already helps licensed merchandise throughout the U.S., Europe, and Latin America, accounting for greater than $1 billion in property.
CME Group Posts Record Trading Volumes in 2025
As reported, CME Group recorded its highest trading activity on file in 2025, with common each day quantity reaching 28.1 million contracts, a 6% improve from the prior 12 months.
The surge mirrored robust participation throughout rates of interest, equities, commodities, overseas change, and crypto derivatives as buyers navigated shifting macroeconomic situations.
Activity accelerated towards year-end, with fourth-quarter common each day quantity climbing to 27.4 million contracts and December posting its strongest efficiency on file.
CME mentioned demand was pushed by heightened use of hedging instruments amid altering rate of interest expectations, commodity value swings, and continued development in crypto derivatives.
The publish Nasdaq, CME Unite Crypto Indexes Under New Benchmark appeared first on Cryptonews.

) establishing a number one benchmark constructed for institutional-grade publicity and the following wave of derivatives innovation.…