FT Highlights Crypto as One of Last 10 Years’ ‘Biggest Changes’ in Financial Markets

The Financial Times (FT) has released a Special Report on global financial markets Monday, October 1. In the report, FT dedicated two out of six sections to the cryptocurrency industry.

In their report entitled “Exchanges, Trading and Clearing,” FT names cryptocurrency alongside such phenomena as Brexit and the emergence of new markets as “some of the biggest changes” in financial markets over the past ten years.

One of the two crypto-focused articles in the report, entitled “Crypto exchanges must face up to responsibilities as they mature,” provides an overview of crypto markets in comparison with traditional markets, pointing out major issues in the industry, such as regulation.

The article covers major disputes between traditional markets experts and the disruptors in the crypto space. While chief executive of the U.K. division of Coinbase Zeeshan Feroz stated that crypto markets’ structure will “eventually mirror that of traditional markets,” Peter Randall, the opponent from the fiat trading industry, considered it “unlikely” to happen.

Randall argued that the existing ecosystem of crypto markets is unlikely to provide the “operational resilience” that is required by “complex markets and financial systems,” citing the lack of liquidity on crypto markets.

In the second crypto-related article of FT’s report, the outlet details how Chicago’s proprietary trading industry is “deepening its exposure to the wild crypto market,” with proprietary trading firms claiming that they are taking a “hard look” on crypto.

Emphasizing the fact that proprietary traders are usually “the highest-volume participants” on the markets, FT authors stated that crypto prices’ volatility is actually a “good thing” for those trading groups. Rob Sagurton, director of digital asset direct trading at proprietary trading firm Jump Trading, has revealed that the company is operating crypto trading of around 10-15 “most liquid main cryptocurrencies,” as well as working with futures markets.

In a speech addressed to the general debate of the 73rd Session of the General Assembly of the U.N. last week, the Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat, said that cryptocurrencies are the “inevitable future of money,” and that blockchain can galvanize a more transparent and equitable society.