Uber Co-Founder’s Cryptocurrency Trading Platform Launches Institutional Brokerage
Custody services like Fidelity Digital Assets will help take bitcoin mainstream. | Source: Shutterstock
Voyager, the cryptocurrency trading platform created by Uber’s first CTO and a former E*Trade executive, has launched a new brokerage division designed specifically for institutional investors.
Dubbed Voyager Institutional, the brokerage aims to deliver a “best-in-class crypto trading solution” to large firms seeking to trade cryptocurrencies, a group that among others includes hedge funds, buy-side firms, and market makers. The news was first reported by Traders Magazine , who said that the brokerage is slated to launch before the end of the year.
“Expanding our offering and leveraging our infrastructure to include the institutional community was always a part of our long-term strategic roadmap,” said Stephen Ehrlich, CEO of Voyager and a former executive at E*Trade, in an interview with Traders Magazine.
“Based on the sheer number of conversations since we announced our retail offering, it’s clear that there is a void in the marketplace and an immediate desire by institutions to participate in and offer their clients access to this emerging asset class without the significant resources, costs and time that would be required to develop an in-house solution.”
Voyager Institutional will be led by Glenn Barber, who is joining the firm as its chief institutional officer. Previously, Barber served as managing director of equities and co-head of Deutsche Bank’s New York-based global program sales desk.
“Our goal is to bring the level of access, connectivity and innovation that institutional investors, in particular, are seeking in order to effectively participate in crypto trading,” said Barber, who will work out of Voyager’s New York City headquarters.
As CCN.com reported in July, Voyager is also launching a zero-fee cryptocurrency trading platform built for retail investors. The platform, which uses a proprietary routing engine to help investors capture the best available prices across dozens of exchanges, looks to disrupt established retail trading platforms like Robinhood and Coinbase. The firm’s retail trading product is currently in beta.
Along with Ehrlich, Voyager was created Oscar Salazar, who co-founded Uber and served as the ride-hailing app’s first chief technology officer.
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