Investing.com - Top cryptocurrencies traded down in Asia on Wednesday morning, despite new signs that digital currencies are gaining wider acceptance. Most notably, Nasdaq expanded its global data service on Monday to include Bitcoin and Ethereum.
On Wednesday morning, Bitcoin shed 0.84% to $3,815.7 by 09:53 PM ET (2:53 GMT). Ethereum was down 1.82% to $136.6, XRP slid 4.19% to $0.31413, and Litecoin dropped 2.97% to $44.754.
The crypto market cap stood at $129 billion after surging to $141 billion over the weekend.
Nasdaq has finally begun live listings of the Bitcoin Liquid Index (BLX) and Ethereum Liquid Index (ELX) from U.S. blockchain and crypto market data company Brave New Coin.
The Global Index Data ServiceSM service that Nasdaq provides will now include its real-time Bitcoin and Ethereum index level information is updated every 30 seconds.
“The crypto derivative wave is inevitable,” said Fran Strajnar, CEO of Brave New Coin. “Now with indices that align with IOSCO principles being available through the Nasdaq, there’s going to be a rush to produce all manner of financial instruments.”
The crypto community saw this as a leap forward in mainstream acceptance and adoption of cryptocurrencies.
Another sign of wider acceptance is a move by Korean tech giant Samsung (KS:005930). Samsung’s new Galaxy S10 series smartphones will feature a built-in crypto wallet that supports Ethereum, Bitcoin and two other digital coins Enjin and Cosmee. The company revealed the news at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Feb. 25.
The company reportedly has sold some 31 million units of the version of the Galaxy smartphone that the S10 will replace.
Meanwhile, JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon said the bank’s JPM coin could eventually be used for retail payments. “JP Morgan Coin could be internal, could be commercial, it could one day be consumer,” Dimon told CNBC on Tuesday.