Argentina’s most important futures market – the Mercado de Termino de Rosario, known as Rofex – is considering offering services for investors in digital currencies, Bloomberg reported.
Conversations and preliminary drafts include offering custody services for the digital asset and the possibility for clients to use Bitcoin (TIKER: BTC.EXANTE) as collateral in futures trading.
“Although the approach to clients is still in a laboratory stage, with blockchain services and others related to cryptocurrencies as possibilities, our idea is to make an announcement before the end of the year," Rofex head Diego Fernández said in an interview with Bloomberg News.
“A custody service could be underway in 2018, and accepting Bitcoins as a guarantee of futures contracts, would be the next stage,” he added.
Rofex doesn’t rule out offering Bitcoin futures, although according to Fernandez the plan is still incipient.
The idea would have to be approved by the county’s regulatory authority, the National Securities Commission and involves a longer process and the need to build an index or a reference value.