Bitcoin News Today: ICE's $2B Bet Bridges Traditional Finance and Decentralized Prediction Markets

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), has committed a $2 billion strategic investment in Polymarket, a cryptocurrency-based prediction market platform, valuing the firm at $9 billion post-money. The investment, announced via a X post by Polymarket, underscores ICE's growing interest in blockchain-powered financial technologies and marks a significant milestone for the prediction market sector. Polymarket confirmed the partnership, which includes ICE becoming a global distributor of Polymarket's event-driven data and collaborating on future tokenization initiatives.

The investment coincides with Polymarket's launch of a Bitcoin (BTC) deposit feature, expanding users' funding options and eliminating the need to convert BTC into stablecoins for participation. This move aligns with Bitcoin's recent all-time high, signaling Polymarket's strategy to reduce barriers to entry and enhance liquidity in prediction markets. The platform already supports deposits in Ethereum (ETH), Polygon, Base, Arbitrum, and Solana (SOL), catering to a broad range of crypto users.

Regulatory hurdles that previously constrained Polymarket's operations have been addressed. In July 2025, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued a no-action letter, granting the platform exemptions from certain reporting requirements and facilitating its reentry into the U.S. market. This followed a 2022 cease-and-desist order and an FBI raid on founder Shayne Coplan's residence in 2024. Polymarket also acquired QCEX, a licensed derivatives exchange, in July 2025 to comply with U.S. regulatory standards.

Market dynamics have further bolstered Polymarket's growth. The platform reported $1.5 billion in trading volume last month and $164 million in total value locked (TVL), according to DeFiLlama data. Donald Trump Jr. joined its advisory board in August 2025, following a multimillion-dollar investment from his firm, 1789 Capital. Additionally, Polymarket integrated Chainlink oracles for price-driven betting and launched a 4% annualized yield feature on long-term geopolitical markets.

The partnership with ICE is expected to accelerate Polymarket's U.S. relaunch, though timing remains uncertain due to a government shutdown halting CFTC operations. Polymarket's QCEX subsidiary submitted filings for new market types, but regulatory inactivity has delayed approvals. Meanwhile, rival platform Kalshi has seen higher weekly trading volumes, intensifying competition in the prediction market space.

ICE CEO Jeffrey Sprecher emphasized the investment's potential to bridge traditional finance with decentralized data models, while Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan highlighted the partnership as a step toward mainstreaming prediction markets. The deal also includes ICE distributing Polymarket's sentiment indicators, further integrating the platform into institutional financial ecosystems.

Source: [1] Two Big News from Polymarket: Received $2 Billion Investment ... (https://cryptonews.net/news/market/31753878/) [2] NYSE Parent Invests $2B In Polymarket At 9B Valuation (https://cointelegraph.com/news/nyse-parent-invests-2b-in-polymarket-at-9b-valuation) [3] NYSE Owner Eyes Massive $2B Stake in Polymarket; Is a $10B Valuation Imminent? (https://cryptonews.com/news/nyse-owner-eyes-massive-2b-stake-in-polymarket-is-a-10b-valuation-imminent/) [4] New York Stock Exchange Owner Nears $2B Stake in Polymarket: ... (https://www.coindesk.com/business/2025/10/07/new-york-stock-exchange-owner-nears-usd2b-bet-on-polymarket-wsj) [5] ICE to Invest $2B in Polymarket as Interest in Prediction (https://coingape.com/nyse-owner-ice-to-invest-2b-in-polymarket/)