FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) – GFT Technologies shares, which got off to a weak start to the year, benefited on Wednesday from a positively received press report. The shares of the IT service provider and software developer gained 4.7 percent to 28.10 euros in the morning, putting them at the top of the SDax. The second-line index fell slightly recently.

One trader saw an article in the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (FAZ) as slightly positive for GFT. According to the article, the company is testing platforms for processing crypto money flows. A corresponding solution has been developed over several years and, according to CEO Marika Lulay, is set to start regular operations in the second half of the year.

According to the report, this involves platforms that will enable the exchange of digital central bank money and regulated stablecoins. Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies that are linked to an underlying asset such as a national currency or an exchange-traded commodity. GFT Technologies now wants to build an infrastructure “to bridge these different digital currency initiatives and facilitate their adoption by financial institutions”.

Cryptocurrencies are currently on everyone’s lips thanks to the Bitcoin rally. The topic recently received a boost with the approval of such exchange-traded funds in the USA that invest directly in bitcoins (Bitcoin ETFs). This makes cryptocurrencies more attractive to a broader investor base.

The price increase in the middle of the week has brightened the chart picture for GFT Technologies shares. The share price is trading close to the 21-day and 200-day moving averages. These describe the short-term and long-term trends respectively.

Nevertheless, GFT shares have fallen by around ten percent since the beginning of the year. The SDax has gained a good one percent in this period./la/bek/men