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Schwab, Citadel Securities, Fidelity, Other Wall Street Firms Start Crypto Exchange EDX Markets

The exchange will be led by Jamil Nazarali, a former senior executive at trading giant Citadel Securities.

Updated May 11, 2023, 4:18 p.m. Published Sep 13, 2022, 1:26 p.m.

Financial heavyweights including Charles Schwab (SCHW), Citadel Securities and Fidelity Digital Assets announced the start of cryptocurrency exchange EDX Markets, the latest evidence Wall Street is forging ahead in digital assets despite the crypto winter.

The exchange will be led by CEO Jamil Nazarali, formerly a senior executive at Citadel Securities, billionaire Ken Griffin's massive trading operation. Other high-profile EDX backers include trading firm Virtu Financial (VIRT) and venture-capital firms Sequoia Capital and Paradigm.

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The news follows an announcement last month from BlackRock (BLK), the world's largest asset manager, that it will give its institutional clients a way to invest into cryptocurrencies.

"Crypto is a $1 trillion global asset class with over 300 million participants and pent-up demand from millions more," EDX Markets' board of directors said in a statement. "Unlocking this demand requires a platform that can meet the needs of both retail traders and institutional investors with high compliance and security standards."

The firm's trading platform will be provided by the Members Exchange (MEMX), a U.S. stock market owned by a consortium of financial firms including some of EDX's creators.

Fidelity Charles Schwab Crypto Exchange

Parikshit Mishra

Parikshit Mishra is CoinDesk's Regional Head of Asia, managing the editorial team in the region. Before joining CoinDesk, he was the EMEA Editor at Acuris (Mergermarket), where he dealt with copies related to private equity and the startup ecosystem. He has also worked as an Senior Analyst for CRISIL, covering the European markets and global economies. His most notable tenure was with Reuters, where he worked as a correspondent and an editor for various teams. He does not have any crypto holdings.