Nasdaq Deepens Its Push Into Crypto Markets

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The rule change is part of Nasdaq’s broader expansion into digital assets. In November, the exchange proposed raising position limits on options tied to BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust from 250,000 contracts to 1 million, citing growing demand and constrained hedging under existing caps.

Nasdaq has also pushed into tokenized equities, unified crypto benchmarks with CME Group, and loosened derivatives rules around Bitcoin ETFs. Together, these moves signal the exchange’s intent to treat crypto products as first-class citizens in traditional markets — and to position itself at the center of institutional crypto trading as regulation continues to evolve.

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“first-class citizens” aka rules bending to accommodate hedge funds and big players. retail still gets second-class treatment.