IG Index, a UK-based company that offers spread betting on financial markets, has begun offering binary betting on the bitcoin market.
The limited risk binary offering enables clients to take a position on the value of bitcoins, where bets are expressed as odds that an event will or wonât occur. IGâs offering lets people bet on whether a bitcoinâs market value will finish above or below a certain point by a certain date: clients can choose to buy or sell depending on whether they agree or disagree with IGâs predicted price levels.
According to IGâs website, binary bets and binary options are âa straightforward way to take advantage of volatile markets.â For example, the company noted, the price of a bitcoin moved from $13.50 in January to $266 in April, âthen lost more than 60% in one day before mounting a partial recovery.â
âWhile bitcoin is still a relatively new phenomenon it has surprised many in the financial markets with its popularity,â said IG chief executive Tim Howkins. âWeâre delighted to offer our clients the opportunity to benefit from its price fluctuations using a binary â while limiting their risk exposure.â
IG Index is one of two core businesses run by IG Group. The groupâs other business â IG Markets â offers financial bets on contracts for difference (CFDs) and forex.