Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE) are putting the concept to work in the financial market. Let's dig deeper to discover which would make the better investment, the platform serving traditional financial interests or the one trying to establish a beachhead in the new crypto economy. Image source: Getty Images. The platform Intercontinental Exchange operates marketplaces and provides data services and technology to corporations, government entities, and financial institutions. It offers trading and clearing of major asset classes like stocks, futures contracts, and bonds, as well as an end-to-end digital workflow for U.S. residential mortgages. The company now operates six financial clearinghouses, serving as an intermediary between buyers and sellers to validate and finalize transactions.