Bakkt CEO Kelly Loeffler Appointed to US Senate Seat

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has appointed Kelly Loeffler, CEO of institutional Bitcoin (BTC) futures platform Bakkt, to a United States Senate seat.

With the appointment, Loeffler will replace Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), who plans to retire at the end of the year, the Washington Post reported on Dec. 4. A person familiar with the matter, shared Loeffler’s remarks with the publication, in which she ostensibly said:

“I haven’t spent my life trying to get to Washington. But here’s what folks are gonna find out about me: I’m a lifelong conservative. Pro-Second Amendment. Pro-military. Pro-wall. And pro-Trump. I make no apologies for my conservative values, and will proudly support President Trump’s conservative judges.”

As previously reported by Cointelegraph, various party leaders, including President Donald Trump, reportedly pressed Kemp to choose U.S. representative Doug Collins instead, purportedly given his strong support for Trump, gun rights and anti-abortion efforts.

The President and many among his followers are not sold on Loeffler, viewing her as too moderate. Previously, Kemp reportedly met with the President and Loeffler in a bid to obtain Trump’s approval of his pick for the Senate seat but to no avail.

Bakkt’s recent developments

In the meantime, Bitcoin futures open interest on the Bakkt platform hit a new all-time high of $6.5 million on Dec. 3. The reported open interest was a 42% increase from the previous day, which had been an all-time high as well.

Also, Bakkt is planning to launch the first regulated options contract for Bitcoin futures on Dec. 9. The new options product is based on customer feedback, explained Loeffler, and is designed to hedge or gain bitcoin exposure. Bakkt added:

“ICE Futures U.S. has self-certified the contract with the CFTC and we’re excited to leverage the benchmark futures prices and institutional-grade custody to meet the needs for a regulated options contract.”