Cryptocurrency index benchmarks and crypto index investment vehicles will grow in popularity as market complexity increases, analysts say.
The Nasdaq Stock Exchange and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group joined forces to unify their crypto indexes, rebranding the Nasdaq Crypto Index (NCI) as the Nasdaq-CME Crypto Index.
The NCI benchmark index includes Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), XRP (XRP), Solana (SOL), Chainlink (LINK), Cardano (ADA) and Avalanche (AVAX), spokespersons for Nasdaq confirmed to Cointelegraph.
Sean Wasserman, head of index product management at Nasdaq, said in Friday’s announcement:
“We see the index-based approach as the direction investors are heading, beyond just Bitcoin. That’s similar to what we’ve seen in other asset classes, where you have indexes that are representative of the broader market.”
The announcement comes amid an institutional rush into crypto, digital assets, and blockchain technology, as traditional financial infrastructure integrates digital rails to prepare for an internet-first economy.
Related: Morgan Stanley to launch digital asset wallet as part of crypto product expansion
Crypto index exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which track the prices of a basket of cryptocurrencies, will drive the next wave of crypto adoption, according to Will Peck, head of digital assets at asset manager WisdomTree.
Crypto index products remove the technical complexity of analyzing a broad range of digital assets, including tokens across different sectors, making them ideal for passive investors seeking crypto exposure, Peck told Cointelegraph.
There were 29.66 million cryptocurrencies listed on CoinMarketCap at time of writing, with more tokens listed daily.
Matt Hougan, chief investment officer at Bitwise, shares the same view and said he was “most excited” for the growth of crypto index products in 2026.
The demand for these investment vehicles will be driven by investors seeking small, passive crypto allocations who cannot commit to deep analysis on the constantly growing sector, Hougan said.
“The market is getting more complex, and the use cases are multiplying,” Hougan said in December
