ITI Capital, the only FCA-regulated prime broker in the UK that custodies Bitcoin, has expanded its crypto trading capabilities for professional and eligible counterparty clients to include block trading of BTCE (Bitcoin Exchange Traded Crypto) and ZETH (Ethereum Exchange Traded Crypto) in another first for the UK market.
BTCE and ZETH are exchange-traded and track the price of the associated cryptocurrency, providing institutional equity and multi-asset investors with easy and flexible access to Bitcoin and Ethereum, with 100% physically back and insured ETPs without having to navigate the digital asset eco-system or build the internal operating systems required to support them.
The ITI platform also provides access to Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) and pre-IPOs for institutional investors, supplying them with exclusive access to a range of exchange-traded commodities, with a particular focus on emerging markets and digital assets.
In the context of the global pandemic, interest in cryptocurrency has surged with many institutional investors holding digital assets as a hedge against the rapid debasement of fiat currencies and traditional investment assets. ITI, therefore, set an early objective to become the first FCA regulated prime broker in the UK to offer these block trading and Bitcoin custody capabilities in order to provide such investors with a safe and efficient method of investing company reserves or other large sums of cash into the in-demand digital assets.
“Bitcoin has become the haven asset for choice against the debasement of fiat currencies. This phenomenon has been greatly accelerated by the policy responses to the Great Corona Recession. ITI provides institutional investors with a safe and secure way to gain access to Bitcoin and Ethereum with block-trading access via the vastly superior liquidity of the digital assets markets and with the peace of mind of the most fiduciary responsible solutions that are 100% physically backed, insured and have neither the significant premia to NAV or lock-up periods of other products, ” comments Stephen Kelso, Head of Markets at ITI Capital.
“Whilst Europe led the world with adoption of ESG investments, it has lagged the US and Asia with the adoption of digital assets. Furthermore, with the focus on financial services migrating from the City to the continent after Brexit, ITI is proud to bring the first solution at an institutional scale in Digital Assets, a growth area where Britain has established an early lead.”
