Big financial firms such as Standard Chartered and Virtu Financial Inc. are gearing up to join a new London-based crypto derivatives trading platform as a market rally boosts the appeal of digital currencies. Trading platform Global Futures and Options Ltd. (GFO-X for short) said on Monday that it has signed up ABN Amro Clearing and market maker IMC and expects to launch in Quarter 1 next year. GFO-X is backed by M & G Investments, the asset management arm of pension giant M & G Plc. GFO-X, which will handle trading in bitcoin index futures and options, was originally planned to go live by the end of 2023 but failed to launch as scheduled due to two delays. GFO-X CEO Arnab Sen said there has been a resurgence of interest in the platform from financial firms as a result of the cryptocurrency market rally triggered by Trump's election to the White House.