Industry Report: The Crypto Challenge - Boosting institutional trading in a fast-evolving market

Get this in-depth report on the implications of institutional cryptocurrency trading on the marketplace from the people in the know.

Vela, in association with The Realization Group, has put together an intriguing report into the prospects for more widespread adoption of cryptocurrency trading in the institutional space.

The report includes input and insights from a number of industry experts from Vela, Nasdaq, AlphaPoint, CoinMarketCap, Gemini, CoinRoutes, Seed CX and Inca Digital Securities. This wide-ranging group of contributors, representing the trading, exchange and vendor community, see some formidable hurdles for a section of the industry in its embryonic stage.

Despite the challenges our experts foresee, they’re unified in the view that they can be overcome and that institutional crypto trading will inevitably increase over time.

What you’ll learn in this institutional cryptocurrency trading report

This an exciting and fast-growing market but there is a lot to be done to standardise, consolidate and regulate it efficiently. Our industry experts and innovators address the possibilities, challenges and solutions for the future growth of institutional crypto trading.

“It’s important to provide a secure, safe and regulated place to buy, sell and store cryptocurrency” - Jeanine Hightower-Sellitto, Managing Director, Operations, Gemini

Here are some key themes this institutional crypto trading report explores:

• An intro to the world of institutional cryptocurrency trading
• Misconceptions around institutional crypto trading platforms
• Key challenges for participants in institutional crypto trading
• What needs to change to better regulate crypto trading
• The role of fundamental data in helping to adequately measure cryptocurrency
• The transparency required for the institutional adoption of crypto trading to truly take off
• How firms need to cooperate and consolidate to fully leverage the technology

Key takeaways from the report:

• Believe the hype - those on the market floor can see the huge potential crypto offers
• There’s a need for liquidity - for more mainstream adoption of cryptocurrency, we need to make it easier for the institutional markets to enter the market
• It needs to be seamless - you’re not going to attract institutions by having them go through an unfamiliar onboarding or technical integration process
• Security concerns - those concerns that still exist in cloud infrastructure need to be rectified before we see holistic adoption
• More cooperation is required from tech providers - platforms need to start acting as parts of an ecosystem and less as cut-throat competitors
• Institutions that have become interested in crypto assets are trading via over-the-counter (OTC) desks rather than via exchange (due to costs)
• Crypto marketing needs transparency - institutions need access to reliable, complete and accurate data
• Standards need to be established concerning how assets are priced - this is due to the volatile nature of the market and the fact that it operates 24/7

Who is this institutional crypto trading report for?

If you’re a Head of Trading or a Head of Market Structure, this industry report will give you a greater understanding of the current cryptocurrency climate, the influence of institutional crypto trading platforms on Financial Markets, plus the opportunities and challenges crypto offers firms and participants. The report will also provide great insights for any Financial Services trading professional.

Fill out the short form on this page to download this revealing report as a PDF.​

Contributors to the report:

• Peggy Sullivan of Vela
• Kapil Rathi of AlphaPoint
• Carylyne Chan at CoinMarketCap
• Dave Weisberger of CoinRoutes
• Jeanine Hightower-Sellitto of Gemini
• Adam Zarazinski of Inca Digital Securities
• Tal Cohen of Nasdaq
• Mark Daly of Seed CX

Coordinated by Mike O’Hara and Adam Cox of The Realization Group.