PANews reported on November 27th that, according to the Federal Register and multiple analysts, Nasdaq ISE has proposed raising the options open interest cap for BlackRock's Bitcoin spot ETF, IBIT, from 250,000 contracts to 1 million contracts. This cap was previously raised from 25,000 contracts in July 2025. The analysis suggests this proposal sends three significant signals:
Surge in demand : The ISE says demand for IBIT options will continue to grow in 2025, and the current cap is limiting large institutional activity.
Bitcoin has joined the ranks of "elite" assets : the 1 million share holding limit is only applicable to global systemic ETFs such as EEM and FXI, which means that Bitcoin is being regarded as a core macro asset;
Unlocking billions of dollars in hedging capacity : The current cap of 25,000 contracts only supports hedging positions of approximately $125 million, far from sufficient to meet the needs of institutions such as sovereign wealth funds or pension funds. If the proposal is passed, it will open up options hedging capabilities exceeding $1 billion for them.
