<p>Japanese investment bank Nomura <a href="https://twitter.com/Nomura/status/1525176480162058240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Eprofile%3ANomura%7Ctwgr%5EeyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3NlbnNpdGl2ZV9tZWRpYV9pbnRlcnN0aXRpYWxfMTM5NjMiOnsiYnVja2V0IjoiaW50ZXJzdGl0aWFsIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd190d2VldF9yZXN1bHRfbWlncmF0aW9uXzEzOTc5Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InR3ZWV0X3Jlc3VsdCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D%7Ctwcon%5Etimelinechrome&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nomuraholdings.com%2Ftop.html">said on Twitter</a> Friday that it has begun offering over-the-counter Bitcoin derivatives contracts to its clients in Asia out of Singapore.</p> <p>“We have launched #Bitcoin OTC #derivatives with Bitcoin non-deliverable forwards and non-deliverable options for clients in #Asia out of Singapore. We also executed our first Bitcoin #futures and #options trades this week on @CMEGroup with @CumberlandSays,” Nomura said in the post.</p> <p>CME Group is the world's biggest financial derivatives exchange, while Cumberland DRW is a specialized cryptoasset trading company.</p> <p>“Options enable investors to trade volatility directly and protect against downside risks in the crypto market,” said Rig Karkhanis, Nomura’s head of global markets for Asia ex-Japan, in a statement attached to the tweet.</p> <p>Tim Albers, Nomura’s head of forex structuring in Asia ex-Japan, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-12/nomura-starts-offering-bitcoin-derivatives-to-clients-in-asia">told Bloomberg</a> in an interview: “There has been significant volatility recently. … Once the dust settles, valuations will become more attractive for institutional clients. We’re pretty excited to get this off the ground.”</p>