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Bitcoin-focused firm rebrands broker-dealer for digital currencies

A bitcoin sticker is seen in the window of the 'Vape Lab' cafe, where it is possible to both use and purchase the bitcoin currency, in London March 24, 2015. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Digital Currency Group, a New York-based entity founded by bitcoin advocate Barry Silbert, rebranded its broker-dealer division of SecondMarket Inc specializing in trading virtual currencies including bitcoin, according to a press statement on Thursday. The Trading Division of SecondMarket Inc is now called Genesis Trading and focuses solely on institutional clients such as hedge funds and alternative asset investors, it said. The rebranded Genesis Trading has executed over $25 billion (£16.75 billion) in the trading of specialized fixed income securities over the last two years, said Chief Executive Officer Brendan O' Connor. The division also carried out trades for more than 800,000 bitcoins worth over $300 million, making the company the bitcoin industry's largest over-the-counter trading desk. "Our goal is to become the partner of choice for large institutional buyers and sellers who are beginning to recognise the economic potential of digital currency," said O'Connor. About 90 percent of the volume on the Genesis platform is on bitcoin, and it has done transactions on other alternative currencies such as litecoin. Genesis weekly volume is between $3 million and $5 million, O'Connor said. On Thursday, bitcoin is trading up 3.63 percent at $226.52. (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Ted Botha)