(Reuters) - Nasdaq Inc (NDAQ.O) is open to launching a cryptocurrency exchange in the future as the regulatory environment evolves, the head of the exchange operator said on Wednesday. <\/p>\n
The view that cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin BTC=BTSP will be a future way to support commerce is becoming more mainstream, Nasdaq's Chief Executive Officer, Adena Friedman, said in an interview following the announcement of better-than-expected quarterly earnings. <\/p>\n
But the virtual currencies are still very lightly regulated. That is part of the appeal to many early adopters but would have to change in order for Nasdaq to operate a cryptocurrency exchange, Friedman said. <\/p>\n
Over time, if it ultimately does morph into a regulated environment, it does give us an opportunity to participate as a marketplace, but I think that is a longer road and it doesnt have a certain path right now, she said. <\/p>\n
In the meantime, Nasdaq is exploring deals with several virtual currency exchanges to provide market infrastructure technology for trading and clearing, as well as surveillance, she said. <\/p>\n
Nasdaq on Wednesday announced a surveillance deal with Gemini Trust Company to monitor cryptocurrency trading on its exchange for potential market manipulation and fraud. <\/p>\n
Nasdaqs net income in the first quarter rose to $177 million, or $1.05 per share, from $168 million, or 99 cents per share, a year earlier, helped by a volatility-driven spike in trading volumes. <\/p>\n
Stripping out special items, such as merger and acquisitions costs, the transatlantic exchange operator earned $1.24 per share, topping analysts average estimates by four cents, according to Thomson Reuters I\/B\/E\/S. <\/p>\n
Volatility spiked in February after a prolonged calm in 2017, roiling global equities, bonds, currencies and commodities markets, and remained elevated through the end of March. <\/p>\n
Revenue rose 14.6 percent to $666 million. Revenue from market services, the companys largest business, jumped more than 21 percent to $735 million. <\/p>\n
Sales from Nasdaqs non-trading related businesses also grew, with revenue from its market technology unit rising 7.7 percent to $70 million, and revenue from information services up 26 percent at $174 million. <\/p>\n
Corporate services, which includes market listings, rose 7.5 percent to $172 million, as Nasdaq saw 37 IPOs in the quarter, including those of cloud storage company Dropbox (DBX.O) and Chinese video streaming platform iQiyi (IQ.O). <\/p>\n
Reporting by Nikhil Subba in Bengaluru and John McCrank in New York; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Rosalba O'Brien<\/p>\n
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