Crypto market maker Wintermute's U.S. arm has registered with the SEC and FINRA as a broker-dealer, authorizing the firm to trade equities, options, and crypto exchange-traded products. The registration marks a significant expansion for the digital asset market maker into traditional securities markets.
Cryptocurrency market maker Wintermute has registered its US affiliate as a broker-dealer with the SEC and FINRA, enabling the firm to trade traditional financial instruments including stocks, options, commodities, and crypto ETFs alongside its digital asset operations.
Institutional investors represented a record 72% of spot trading volume on Wintermute's OTC desk during the first half of 2026, signaling Wall Street's growing presence in cryptocurrency markets and contributing to reduced market volatility.
Hunter Biden launched a cryptocurrency memecoin called $LAPTOP referencing his laptop controversy, but the token crashed shortly after debut. Blockchain analysts traced $2.08 million in token sales to a Wintermute-linked wallet that received 2.5 million tokens from the team allocation, while Biden blamed "predatory snipers" for the collapse.
