CME, the biggest exchange by trading volume in the US, has launched a $20 million fund to buy into bitcoin companies, with a goal to eventually invest $200m.CME said it has also started to take a stake in several bitcoin-related startups, including BitShares, which aims to build a payment gateway.
Its announcement came after CME announced earlier this month that it had bought a 49.8% stake in BitShares for $5.7bn, which will be used to invest in the bitcoin and blockchain industry.
In addition to its investment in the exchange, CME also said it was planning to spend about $100m in 2018 on digital assets, including bitcoin and cryptocurrency trading, which is expected to generate at least $100bn in market capitalisation.
This year, CMA said it is aiming to invest $1.5bn in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
The move comes as the price of bitcoin is continuing to fall, after CMA and other investors have poured more than $100 billion into the digital currency in the last six months.
Last month, CMB Group, the largest exchange by volume in Europe, also announced that it would buy a 50% stake, with plans to invest about $10bn in the digital asset.
