STOCKHOLM (AP) — Investors can for the first time bet on the value of bitcoins through an established stock exchange after Nasdaq launched an index based on the virtual currency in Stockholm, Sweden.
Monday’s launch of a bitcoin-based security on the Stockholm Stock Exchange allows investors to speculate on bitcoin’s value without actually owning the virtual currency.
Sweden’s financial supervisors last month approved financial firm XBT Provider to offer shares for Bitcoin Tracker One, a certificate whose value is based on the price of bitcoins on world markets.
The share price opened Monday at 9.69 kronor ($1.18), based on 0.5 percent of the global value of a bitcoin as traded on major online bitcoin exchanges. It closed at 9.73 kronor, with more than 1.8 million shares traded.
XBT Provider spokesman Johan Wattenstrom said the company wants to make it “extremely accessible” to invest in bitcoins.
Comment count on this article reflects comments made on Breitbart.com and Facebook. Visit Breitbart's Facebook Page.