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, Author: Muyao Shen, Compiler: Kyle, released with authorization.

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the Atlanta-based New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), announced on Aug. 4 that it plans to launch a digital asset platform and a bitcoin futures product.

The digital asset platform, called Bakkt, will leverage Microsoft’s cloud technology to build “an open, regulated, global ecosystem for digital assets,” according to a press release. The platform will allow consumers and institutions to trade, store and spend digital assets on a global network.

The company said it believes the regulated venue will create new protocols for managing “specific security and settlement requirements” for cryptocurrencies.

Notably, ICE also plans to offer a one-day “physical” bitcoin futures contract — meaning the bitcoin is actually delivered on a specific date, unlike other cash-settled products. The product is expected to be available in November and is currently awaiting approval from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Major firms including Boston Consulting Group, Microsoft and Starbucks are providing expertise in risk management and consumer experience to the project, the firm added.

ICE founder and chairman Jeffrey Sprecher said in a press release:

Combining regulated, connected infrastructure with institutional and consumer applications for digital assets, we hope to build confidence in this asset class on a global scale, as we bring transparency and trust to a level The past experience of regulated markets remains consistent.

Bakkt CEO Kelly Loeffler said: