Institutional interest in digital assets is pushing market infrastructure toward familiar standards. Nasdaq Inc. (Nasdaq: NDAQ) and CME Group Inc. (Nasdaq: CME) announced on Jan. 8 that they are deepening their long-standing partnership through the reintroduction of the Nasdaq Crypto Index as the Nasdaq CME Crypto Index, positioning it as a regulated benchmark for diversified crypto exposure.

Executive Director of Equity and Alternative Products Giovanni Vicioso said:

This is not just a name change. It is the combination of two gold standards to deliver the regulated diversification and foundational building block the market now demands.

The initiative extends a collaboration between Nasdaq and CME Group that spans decades and multiple asset classes. Head of Index Product Management Sean Wasserman, CFA, framed the move as a response to shifting investor behavior as oversight improves across major markets. “Now that we are starting to see regulatory clarity coming to the treatment of crypto assets, particularly in the U.S., the door has been opened for industry participants to bring to the crypto asset class the types of regulated investment solutions that investors rely on every day,” Wasserman stated.

He also outlined a shift away from early single-asset exposure toward broader benchmarks, stating: “We see the index-based approach as the direction investors are heading, beyond just bitcoin.”

Read more: CME Crypto Derivatives Surge Into New Highs With Rising Demand for Regulated Futures

Designed for institutional use, the Nasdaq CME Crypto Index tracks the performance of a diversified basket of U.S. dollar–traded digital assets while applying liquidity, exchange, and custody standards to asset eligibility. Constituents are weighted using a free-float market capitalization methodology and the index is rebalanced and reconstituted quarterly under oversight from the Nasdaq Index Management Committee. Pricing and calculation are provided by CF Benchmarks, and Nasdaq publishes a detailed methodology covering eligibility criteria, weighting rules, governance, and rebalancing, positioning the benchmark as transparent, dynamic, and readily trackable by investors.

As of Sept. 30, the index sourced pricing from core exchanges including Bitstamp, Coinbase, Gemini, Itbit, Kraken, and Lmax Digital, with approved core custodians consisting of Bitgo, Coinbase, Fidelity, Gemini, Komainu, and Zodia. At period end, bitcoin represented 72.44% of the index, followed by ethereum at 14.51%, XRP at 6.77%, solana at 4.10%, and cardano at 1.21%, with smaller allocations to chainlink, stellar lumens, and uniswap. The construction is intended to balance broad market representation with liquidity and risk controls, supporting use across ETFs, structured products, and active strategies linked to the benchmark.

• Why is the Nasdaq CME Crypto Index significant for institutional investors?
  The index establishes a regulated, institution-grade benchmark that aligns crypto exposure with familiar Nasdaq and CME market standards.
• How does increased regulatory clarity impact crypto index adoption?
  Clearer U.S. regulation allows institutions to deploy diversified, index-based crypto products with compliance, transparency, and governance investors expect.
• Why are investors moving beyond single-asset crypto exposure?
  Institutions are shifting toward diversified benchmarks to reduce concentration risk and gain broader market representation beyond bitcoin alone.
• What makes the Nasdaq CME Crypto Index suitable for ETFs and structured products?
  Its liquidity screens, approved exchanges and custodians, quarterly rebalancing, and transparent methodology support scalable, trackable investment products.

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