New digital asset exchange gets provisional licence on Bermuda
Omega One has launched Omega Dark, which it claims is the first regulated, fully independent, and institutionally-focused dark pool in the digital asset marketplace.
According to Omega One, Omega Dark is also the first digital asset exchange to be granted a provisional license in Bermuda under the new Digital Asset Business Act.
Omega Dark has created a single trading venue where trades of any size can be executed at a market-weighted midpoint price. Omega One says that this promises to save billions of dollars in slippage costs for existing traders by lowering the impact that large orders have on the market price, while enabling an entire new class of participants to enter the digital asset markets.
The company pointed out that Bermuda is widely considered a world-leading offshore regulatory jurisdiction and is home to one of the largest reinsurance markets in the world. It is also one of only two jurisdictions in the world with EU and US regulatory equivalence. Omega One says that it worked with the Bermuda government to inform this legislation, reflecting both parties' commitment to making digital assets safe from money laundering, cyber-theft, fraud, and market manipulation.
The company also claims that the advent of an institutional-grade dark pool in digital assets could be a game-changer for existing cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, while setting the stage for the transformation of stocks, bonds and real estate into digital assets. Omega Dark is claimed to bring mechanics previously only seen in FX and equities to the crypto markets, allowing dynamic peg orders to be placed relative to the market midpoint and providing algorithmic price protection that promises off-mid orders trade at a better price than top exchanges.
“Dark pools matter so much for crypto because they act as a central warehouse for liquidity, and connect the broad array of fragmented exchanges and OTC desks across the globe into a single hub. In turn, Omega Dark allows participants to cheaply and discreetly balance liquidity against each other and against market makers and hedge funds, creating a win-win for everyone,” said Omega One CEO Alex Gordon-Brander. “We believe our platform brings dark pools into the light by leveraging the blockchain to prevent unfair activity and market manipulation. We're very proud to have worked so closely with the Bermuda Monetary Authority—the first in our multi-jurisdiction regulatory strategy—to create a trading venue that can make the global crypto markets safe and efficient for everyone.”
Premier David E. Burt commented, “We are following the same strategy with digital assets as we did for reinsurance, and recognize that the best businesses need a high standard but progressive environment in which to thrive. In crafting our regulations we paid particular attention to the need for the industry to maintain a very high standard of KYC/AML compliance as well as the need for high standards around cyber security and custody risks. Bermuda is not an easy jurisdiction to get into, and after more than a year of engaging with the government and the Bermuda Monetary Authority, Omega One is the first company to cross that high bar. We are proud they have been granted our first Digital Asset Exchange license.”
