Wintermute Secures US Broker-Dealer License

A major cryptocurrency market maker has taken a significant step toward bridging digital assets and traditional finance by securing a license to operate on Wall Street. On August 6, Wintermute announced that its U.S. affiliate, Wintermute USA LLC, had registered as a broker-dealer with the Securities and Exchange Commission and joined the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. The move grants the London-based firm a regulated pathway into U.S. securities markets from its New York headquarters.

The registration authorizes Wintermute USA to trade U.S. equities and equity options for its own account, provide liquidity in over-the-counter transactions, and self-clear transactions involving digital asset securities. Crucially, it also allows the firm to act as an Authorized Participant for exchange-traded products, including those tied to digital assets. Authorized Participants are key to the creation and redemption of ETF shares, a role that places Wintermute at the core of the infrastructure supporting crypto-related ETFs.

Company founder and CEO Evgeny Gaevoy stated that the firm's long-term conviction has always been that digital asset markets and traditional finance would...