Two big developments show stock market giant NASDAQ is getting serious about cryptocurrency...

The NASDAQ stock market is the second largest in the world, behind only the New York Stock Exchange - and it's clear they're eyeing cryptocurrency like never before. There's two fairly big developments on this front, all within a 24hr period.

First off - the Winklevoss twins, owners of the Gemini exchange have officially brought NASDAQ on board to monitor their exchange for fraud.  A press release from NASDAQ states:

"Nasdaq announced today that Gemini will be leveraging Nasdaq's SMARTS Market Surveillance technology to monitor its marketplace. The technology, which is considered the most widely deployed surveillance system in the world, will enable Gemini to monitor across all of its trading pairs..."

The second big development comes from NASDAQ's own CEO Adena Friedman speaking yesterday on CNBC's Squak Box, saying they're considering starting a cryptocurrency exchange of their own:

"I believe that digital currencies will continue to persist...it's just a matter of how long it will take for that space to mature" Friedman continued... "Once you look at it and say, 'do we want to provide a regulated market for this?' Certainly, Nasdaq would consider it."

These developments are being viewed on Wall Street as cryptocurrencies biggest endorsement in recent times - and may also be viewed as a signal to traditional investors to get into the market now - before things truly explode.
-------
Author: Ross Davis
San Francisco News Desk