SIX, owners and operators of Swiss Stock Exchange on Friday announced that it is building a first-of-its-kind cryptocurrency trading platform. According to the announcement, the SIX Digital Exchange is a fully integrated trading, settlement and custody infrastructure for digital assets like bitcoin and ICO tokens. The exchange will be launched in the second half of 2019.
In his remark, the CEO of SIX, Jos Dijsselhof expressed optimism about the trends in the digital asset markets. He said:
“This is the beginning of a new era for capital markets infrastructures. For us, it is abundantly clear that much of what is going on in the digital space is here to stay and will define the future of our industry.”
Institutional interest in cryptocurrency has continued to grow despite the current dip in cryptocurrency markets. Thomas Zeeb, head of securities & exchanges at SIX acknowledged the challenges in his statement. “The digital space currently faces a number of key challenges [which] include the absence of regulation that ensures official safety, security, stability, transparency, and accountability – all of which contribute to a lack of trust,” he said.
He stressed the need for a “recognized and regulated infrastructure provider who provides all steps of the chain in an integrated and secure model.” This role SIX will aim to fill with its platform that will offer comprehensive financial services. SIX’s statement read:
“SIX Digital Exchange will be the first market infrastructure in the world to offer a fully integrated end to end trading, settlement and custody service for digital assets”
Furthermore, the exchange will be fully regulated under the purview of the Swiss central bank and the financial regulators. Switzerland has been a hub for cryptocurrency businesses mainly due to its friendly blockchain and cryptocurrency regulations. The country is the best place to start a blockchain business in Europe
Solomon Sunny is the market reporter for Smartereum, one of the global leaders in Ethereum, blockchain and currency news. He produces technical price updates on digital currencies and writes recent developments about blockchain.
