There is no debate here. Maybe other cities/regions (Zug, Singapore, Tokyo, etc) may claim, or aspire, to be the world center for all things crypto, but Chicago - right here in the U.S. - is where it's at for trading. Having begun my career in Chicago and held memberships at all three big exchanges (CBOE, CBOT, CME) I can certainly attest to the history and innovation in all things financial. I am biased (proudly) and if you want to know why and get a real sense of excitement, read below.
Bill Taylor/Fintek Capital
"..Chicago is home to a number of spot exchanges which trade the cryptocurrencies that underlie the derivative contracts. Athena Bitcoin operates more than 70 crypto ATMs in 8 states across the USA and has entered Latin America. Digital Mint has over 70 crypto ATMs in Chicago alone and close to 200 nationwide. Bcause runs the largest mining operation in North America and is building the world’s first full-stack cryptocurrency ecosystem...
...Why are Kraken, Coinbase, and the San Juan Mercantile Exchange coming to Chicago? The answer is that they want access to our trading community with its abundance of resources including traders, liquidity, technology, and developers. According to Paul Bauerschmidt, former CME executive and leader of Coinbase’s Chicago office: “Chicago is super valuable to us because of the talent that’s here. If you move to one of the coasts, you…will get access to talent, but it’s much harder to come by. And, in Chicago, we’ve got an incredible exchange and trading community.” And, according to Fred Grede, CEO of Bcause: “They’re starting to figure out that the real center of liquidity in these kinds of markets is right here in Chicago, and that it’s a tremendous pool of resources. I don’t mean to get into any disrespect for New York.”
Full Story: Cryptoglobe