Cboe Digital Markets Names Jump Crypto, Robinhood and DRW Among Expected Equity Partners

The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) has named a cohort of trading heavyweights expected to be equity partners in its revamped cryptocurrency-facing division, Cboe Digital Markets, which includes the likes of Jump Crypto, Robinhood and high speed trading firm DRW.

Read more: Wall Street Giant DTCC Launches Private Blockchain in Big Crypto-Milestone for TradFi

Cboe Digital Markets, which is being formed following the acquisition of trading platform ErisX announced late last year, will provide minority ownership stakes to those partners and will also create an advisory committee to help mature crypto markets.

The full roster of planned equity partners includes B2C2, GSR, Hidden Road, IMC, Interactive Brokers, Jane Street, Optiver, tastytrade and Virtu Financial. Commercial partners named in connection with Cboe Digital include Fidelity Digital Assets, Galaxy Digital, NYDIG and Webull, according to a press release.

Such a sturdy consortium of traditional finance and crypto players demonstrates a firm backing for the ErisX business and also reflects the fact Cboe was the first U.S. company to launch bitcoin (BTC) futures in 2017 before later shuttering the product.

Under the auspices of Cboe Digital, the existing spot, derivative and clearing platforms of ErisX, will carry on operating, with plans to develop a benchmark data stream and evaluation of crypto execution prices, the company said.

“Building trusted markets has always been a part of Cboe's DNA, and we look forward to leveraging the combined expertise of our partner firms to help bring Cboe's regulatory framework, transparency, infrastructure and data solutions to further grow the digital asset market on a global scale,” said Ed Tilly, chairman and chief executive of Cboe Global Markets, in a statement.