cryptocurreny

Crypto’s bridge to traditional markets gets stronger: Thoughts on the Nasdaq and CME partnership

Jan 24, 2026 · 5 min read
Every so often, an evolutionary leap occurs in the investment space. Today’s formal rebranding of the Nasdaq Crypto™ Index to the Nasdaq CME Crypto™ Index marks such a milestone for crypto investors—one that we believe will change how institutions think about crypto allocations. 
This strengthened flagship index celebrates a trusted partnership between Nasdaq and derivatives financial services heavyweight Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group. 
In merging their respective brands to strengthen this institutional-grade digital asset benchmark, the Nasdaq CME Crypto™ Index (NCI™) builds on its transparency and governance across the US, Europe, and Latin America. Exchange-traded products (ETPs) and other instruments tracking NCI™ can benefit from increased liquidity, tighter spreads, and smoother execution. And by leveraging decades of collective experience building modern financial infrastructure, NCI™ pairs traditional market expertise with digital asset innovation. For investors building crypto exposure for the first time, a benchmark like the NCI™ provides the same type of foundation that an index like the Nasdaq-100 or S&P 500 offers for equities.
 
Creating an institutional benchmark: Methodology matters 
 
The Nasdaq and CME partnership is a clear sign that the NCI™ is becoming the definitive benchmark for the emerging crypto asset class. Why does this matter? Benchmarks enable portfolio construction, performance attribution, and allow institutions to allocate at scale. The NCI™ is providing the necessary criteria for these institutions to get exposure to the crypto market, including a replicable methodology, increased liquidity via ETPs and other instruments, and the institutional acceptance that comes along with two firms with extensive experience building sophisticated financial infrastructure.

When it comes to fortifying a category-defining index like the NCI™, a measured approach to curating a list of constituent companies is vital to reflecting trends in the broader crypto market. This is why, since 2020, Hashdex has taken a hands-on role in building this benchmark, co-developing the NCI™ in partnership with Nasdaq Global Indexes.
NCI’s™ methodology is designed to bring the same high standards for traditional market indexes to crypto. The benchmark’s quarterly reconstitution practices support a long-term culture of folding promising and emergent crypto assets into the mix. Only crypto assets that meet the requisite liquidity, exchangeability, and fungibility standards are eligible for inclusion. Candidates must likewise trade on at least two major exchanges for the entire period since the last index readjustment and prospective newcomers must be supported by reputable custodians with demonstrably efficient operational controls.
 
The Nasdaq CME Crypto™ Index: Key differentiators and institutional-grade criteria

 

Nasdaq, Nasdaq Crypto Index - Factsheet, accessed January 19, 2026.
Effective January 20, 2026, the index changed its name from Nasdaq Crypto Index (NCI) to Nasdaq CME Crypto™ Index.
 
Fortunately, the pool of crypto assets runs deep. And what does NCI’s™ constituent breakdown look like today? As you might imagine, industry stalwarts Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) factor prominently as the index’s two largest assets. And while their foundational roles will likely keep these names around for a while, NCI™ additionally features evolving set of crypto assets, presently including XRP (XRP), Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK), and Stellar (XLM). Of course, these weightings are subject to change every quarter, to keep their representations on track amid macroeconomic changes and evolving investment theses.
 
What lies ahead for crypto in 2026?
 
With the Nasdaq/CME partnership signaling crypto’s shift from a speculative, niche ecosystem into a sophisticated asset class, digital assets may offer uncorrelated returns that complement traditional investments. This is one of the reasons why Hashdex is now endorsing increasing crypto allocations to 5%-10% for most investors, as we outlined in our 2026 Crypto Investment Outlook. Many predictive metrics support this recalibration:
 
The rise of the “cryptodollar”: Stablecoins—digital assets linked to fiat currencies like the US dollar or the euro may spike in global market cap from $295 billion to $500 billion or more this year, and into the trillions of dollars within five years.AI catalyzing crypto: As blockchains rise in prominence to buttress the increased verification, coordination, and economic autonomy AI demands, so too will rise investment opportunities in the AI crypto space.Scaling tokenization: Financial services behemoths like BlackRock and JPMorgan have begun using blockchain technology to overhaul their infrastructure and more efficiently compete for capital. This could spike tokenized assets tenfold this year alone.Demand outpacing supply: This fundamental economic principle may materially influence crypto asset pricing. As demand for these assets increases while supply remains limited, prices tend to rise—a benefit to those who opt in early. 
 
Final thoughts

Hashdex has nearly $1B in global products that track the NCI™ and we’re excited to continue to help drive investor interest in the crypto asset class. Effective today, the names of Hashdex’s products that track the NCI™ will be updated to reflect the index rebranding. For more information on how this rebranding will impact specific products.

As crypto continues to mature from a once-niche technology play into an indispensable building block of the global economic food chain, institutional investors seeking diversified and dynamic exposure to non-traditional investments can no longer overlook this asset class. And without question, tradable and transparent indexes like the Nasdaq CME Crypto™

#Index will continue to help facilitate the adoption of this asset class for investors big and small. 

#cryptocurreny #NasdaqTokenization #ETFs
$BTC
$ETH

Historically, themes discussed at the World Economic Forum (WEF) don’t stay theoretical. Many of them quietly shape policy, capital flows, and technology adoption within just a few years.
That’s why this year’s discussions deserve attention.
🤖 Elon Musk on AI: A Faster Shift Than Most Expect
Elon Musk shared striking projections on the pace of AI development:
• Within 1 year, AI may surpass the intelligence of the smartest human
• Within 5 years, AI could exceed the combined intelligence of all humans
• AI-powered robots may become as common in households as smartphones
According to Musk, this transition is driven by: • Aging populations and declining birth rates
• Growing need for elderly care and household assistance
• Rapid improvements in robotics + AI integration
Long term, he argues: • Robots + AI systems could outnumber humans
• Goods and services may become abundant
• Traditional scarcity shifts from production → distribution and ownership
🚗 AI Is Already Reducing Real-World Risk
Musk also highlighted something already happening:
• Insurance premiums for self-driving cars have dropped by ~50% • Autonomous vehicles are showing lower accident rates than human drivers
This suggests AI isn’t just theoretical — it’s already outperforming humans in safety-critical environments.
🛠️ Jobs That May Survive (and Benefit from) AI
Palantir’s CEO emphasized an overlooked trend:
• Demand for vocational & hard-skill jobs will increase
• Trades like electricians, plumbers, mechanics, and carpenters remain difficult to automate
• Western economies face shortages due to decades of focus on white-collar careers
Potential outcomes: • Higher wages for skilled labor
• Increased immigration to fill gaps
• Revaluation of non-digital skills
💰 Crypto as the Native Money of AI Agents
A key idea discussed by crypto and stablecoin leaders:
👉 AI agents may prefer crypto-based money
Why? • AI struggles with fragmented national currencies
• Traditional systems (Visa/Mastercard/banks) are slow and permissioned
• Crypto is programmable, borderless, and digital-native
This makes crypto a natural fit for: • AI-to-AI payments
• Autonomous services
• Machine-driven economies
🔑 Big Picture Takeaway
WEF discussions point toward a clear direction:
• AI + robotics adoption is accelerating faster than expected
• Labor markets will be reshaped, not eliminated
• Money itself may become more digital, programmable, and autonomous
• Crypto could play a foundational role in the AI-driven economy
These aren’t predictions — they’re early signals.
📌 The future rarely arrives all at once.
It arrives quietly… then suddenly.
📢 Share this if you want to stay ahead of the curve.
#worldeconomicforum #Aİ #ElonMuskTalks #cryptocurreny
$BTC

People often call Bitcoin “Digital Gold,” and it’s not just hype. Like gold, Bitcoin is limited—there will never be more than 21 million coins, just as the amount of gold in the world is finite.
Another reason is trust and security. When economies get unstable or currencies lose value, people have always turned to gold. Today, many are doing the same with Bitcoin, because it isn’t controlled by any government or bank.
The difference? Gold you can hold, Bitcoin is fully digital. But both are valued for the same reason—to protect against uncertainty and preserve wealth.
#BTC #cryptocurreny $BTC

Cryptocurrency is a form of digital currency that operates through a system known as blockchain technology. One of the most frequently discussed cryptocurrencies is Bitcoin, which was first introduced by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008 (Lee et al., 2018). The main advantage of cryptocurrency lies in its decentralized nature. This means that transactions are not controlled by a single entity, but instead are managed by a large network of participants known as miners, who use their computing power to maintain and secure the network.

Cryptocurrency can be considered a derivative of digital currency, but it has recently become a significant and influential part of the digital financial ecosystem. Although cryptocurrencies use cryptographic technology similar to other digital currencies, they often employ different algorithmic designs.

The idea of a cryptography-based payment system was first proposed by David Chaum from the University of California, who introduced a product called DigiCash that aimed to protect the confidentiality of its users’ data. One of the major advantages of cryptocurrency is that it can be sent anywhere via the internet without the need to go through a bank, resulting in lower transaction costs (Syamsiah, 2017). However, cryptocurrencies also have several disadvantages that must be considered.
For example, cryptocurrency prices are highly volatile and do not behave like traditional currencies (Minutolo et al., 2022). Despite this limitation, many large multinational companies, such as Microsoft, PayPal, Overstock, Whole Foods, and Starbucks, have accepted Bitcoin as a payment method. Other companies, including Tesla and Square, have also taken positions in cryptocurrency. This trend indicates strong potential for mass adoption in the future.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, cryptocurrency became increasingly popular. This was partly because many people were required to stay at home, even for work-related activities. However, to meet their daily needs, people still had to find ways to earn income. In this context, cryptocurrency emerged as one possible alternative source of income during strict lockdown periods.

Minutolo et al. (2022) found that several studies indicate cryptocurrency prices react to changes in market conditions and economic fundamentals in the short term. However, cryptocurrency values tend to be more strongly influenced by economic fundamentals than by market conditions, which contributes to their high volatility. From an investment perspective, simply including Bitcoin in a portfolio can improve the overall risk–return trade-off.
Furthermore, Bezhovski et al. (2021) reported that, by transaction volume, the most widely used payment methods in e-commerce are digital wallets (41.8%), followed by bank cards (debit or credit) at 39.8%, bank transfers at 9%, and cash payments at 4.5%. These figures may vary depending on the country or region.
#cryptocurreny #Whatiscryptocurrency

За последние годы криптовалюта из нишевого технологического эксперимента превратилась в полноценный фактор трансформации мировой финансовой системы. Банковская сфера, традиционно консервативная и строго регулируемая, столкнулась с новым классом активов, который предлагает альтернативные механизмы хранения, передачи и учета стоимости. В результате сформировались три ключевых вектора взаимодействия: конкуренция, кооперация и институциональная адаптация.
Криптовалюта как вызов классическим банкам
Криптовалюты изначально создавались как децентрализованная альтернатива банковской системе. Их ключевые особенности — отсутствие посредников, прозрачность блокчейна и глобальная доступность — напрямую затрагивают традиционные банковские функции:
международные переводы без корреспондентских банков;
хранение средств без депозитных счетов;
доступ к финансовым инструментам без кредитных организаций.
Это усилило давление на банки, особенно в сфере трансграничных платежей, где комиссии и скорость операций долгое время оставались слабым местом традиционной инфраструктуры.
Реакция банковской системы
Вместо полного сопротивления многие банки выбрали стратегию адаптации. Основные направления:
Кастодиальные услуги — хранение цифровых активов для частных и институциональных клиентов.
Интеграция блокчейна — использование распределённых реестров для клиринга, расчётов и внутреннего учёта.
Токенизация активов — перевод ценных бумаг, недвижимости и других активов в цифровую форму.
Таким образом, банки начали воспринимать криптовалюты не только как угрозу, но и как источник технологического обновления.
Регулирование как точка баланса
Ключевым фактором взаимодействия криптовалют и банков является регулирование. Государства и финансовые регуляторы стремятся:
снизить риски отмывания средств и финансирования незаконной деятельности;
защитить потребителей;
интегрировать цифровые активы в существующую финансовую систему.
Для банков это означает возможность легальной работы с криптоактивами, но при условии строгого соблюдения требований по комплаенсу, KYC и AML.
Будущее: от конкуренции к симбиозу
Наиболее вероятный сценарий — постепенный симбиоз криптовалют и банковской сферы. Банки сохранят роль институционального доверия, регулирования и масштабной инфраструктуры, а криптовалюты и блокчейн обеспечат скорость, прозрачность и инновации.
В перспективе клиенты будут использовать гибридные финансовые модели, где традиционные счета, цифровые активы и децентрализованные сервисы станут частью единой экосистемы.
Заключение
Криптовалюта и банковская сфера больше не являются антагонистами. Их взаимодействие отражает глобальную трансформацию финансов — от закрытых централизованных систем к более открытым, цифровым и технологичным моделям. Победителем в этой эволюции станет тот, кто сможет объединить надежность банков и инновационный потенциал криптовалют.

#cryptocurreny #finance #bank

Cryptocurrency first became known and gained public interest when Nakamoto (2008) introduced Bitcoin to the world in 2008. Satoshi Nakamoto's goal in creating Bitcoin was to decentralize a payment system free from central control or any third-party intermediaries.
Until early 2010, Bitcoin was still the only cryptocurrency on the market. At that time, its price was only a few cents. Several years later, new digital currencies entered the market, but their prices were also volatile, such as Bitcoin. Nakamoto (2008) attempted to create a blockchain system to protect every transaction. The blockchain system guarantees the security of cryptocurrency transactions, disrupting the conventional financial industry.

After experiencing various failures, Nakamoto (2008) finally launched a coin called Litecoin. This coin was the first financial currency to use a proof-of-work or proof-of-stake system.
Proof-of-work is a system whose primary purpose is to prevent cyberattacks, such as sending malicious emails and spam. Meanwhile, proof-of-stake is a concept in crypto assets that explains that you, as a user, can mine or validate your crypto asset transactions, based on the number of coins you hold. To illustrate, the more crypto assets a miner owns, the greater their bargaining power in mining a crypto asset. Cryptocurrency is actually a derivative of digital currency.
Cryptocurrency has a key feature: decentralized transactions, meaning that transactions are not controlled by a single entity but managed by many participants known as miners. The most well-known cryptocurrency is Bitcoin, but there are many other cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum, Dogecoin, Cardano, Monero, Tron, and others.
It turns out that cryptocurrency technology began in 1983. In that year, David Chaum, a cryptographer, created a cryptographic electronic currency called e-cash. In 1995, David Chaum11 implemented this through Digicash, an early form of cryptographic electronic payment. Digicash required user software to retrieve bank notes and designate a specific encrypted key before sending them to the recipient. This prevented the government, issuing bank, or any third party from tracking the transaction. In 1996, the US National Security Agency (NSA) published a paper titled "How to Make a Mint: The Cryptography of Anonymous Electronic Cash," which explored the cryptography of electronic cash. In the late 1990s, scientists such as Wei Dan, Hal Finney, and Nick Szabo created cryptocurrency systems, but none of their creations achieved widespread success. Nevertheless, their work, along with that of David Chaum, became the cornerstones of this currency system.

#cryptocurreny
#satoshiNakamato
$BTC

In recent years, the global financial system has been undergoing a silent revolution. At the center of this transformation is blockchain technology, a system that is not just changing how money moves, but also how trust is built in the digital world.
Understanding the Core Idea of Blockchain
Blockchain is a decentralized digital ledger that records transactions across a network of computers. Unlike traditional systems controlled by banks or governments, blockchain operates without a single central authority. Every transaction is verified by the network and stored permanently, making it transparent, secure, and nearly impossible to manipulate.

This simple idea has opened the door to a new financial ecosystem.

Why Cryptocurrency Matters

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and BNB are more than digital coins. They represent:
Financial freedom without borders

Faster and cheaper transactions
Control over personal assets
For millions of people worldwide, especially in developing regions, crypto provides access to financial services where traditional banking is limited or unavailable.
binance and the Growth of the Crypto Ecosystem
binance has played a major role in accelerating crypto adoption by offering:

A user-friendly trading platform

Advanced security measures
Educational resources for beginners
Support for innovation through blockchain projectsBy connecting users, developers, and institutions, Binance is helping build a more inclusive and efficient financial future.
Beyond Trading: Real-World Use Cases
Blockchain is no longer limited to trading and investment. Today, it is being used in:

DeFi (Decentralized Finance) for lending and borrowing without banks

NFTs for digital ownership and creator empowerment
Supply chain management for transparency and fraud prevention
Healthcare and identity systems for secure data storageThese applications show that blockchain is not a trend—it is infrastructure for the future.
Challenges and Responsible Growth
Despite its potential, the crypto industry faces challenges such as regulation, security risks, and market volatility. Responsible platforms and informed users are essential for sustainable growth. Education, compliance, and innovation must move forward together.
Conclusion
Blockchain technology is redefining trust by replacing intermediaries with mathematics and transparency. As adoption grows, platforms like Binance will continue to shape how people interact with money, data, and digital ownership.
The future of finance is not centralized—it is open, decentralized, and powered by blockchain.
#Web3 #Binance #cryptocurreny #crypto #blockchain