CME Group Announces Launch of 24/7 Cryptocurrency Futures and Options Trading

CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, today announced it launched 247 trading for Cryptocurrency futures and options. The expanded trading hours, which went live on Friday, May 29, mark a significant milestone in providing global market participants with always-on access to regulated digital asset risk management tools.

Over its inaugural weekend, more than 7,200 Cryptocurrency futures and options contracts were traded (~$50 million in notional), demonstrating immediate liquidity and clear demand for transparent, trusted markets. Volume was supported by a healthy ecosystem of retail and institutional firms.

"By offering continuous liquidity over the weekend, we are meeting client demand and bridging the gap between traditional regulated venues and the 24/7 nature of crypto assets," said Tim McCourt, Global Head of Equities, FX and Alternative Products at CME Group. "Since we introduced our first Bitcoin futures contract in 2017, the ecosystem has evolved in so many ways. Shifting to an always-on model represents the next natural evolution for the marketplace, ensuring CME Group continues to provide the continuous price discovery and trading confidence global investors require."

"Crypto is a 24/7 asset class, and this rollout by CME Group marks the first time our users will be able to trade regulated futures contracts at any hour of the day, any day of the week," said JB Mackenzie, VP and GM of Futures and International, Robinhood Markets. "This launch bridges the weekend gap between traditional derivatives and spot markets, giving our customers the continuous flexibility they need to react to market moves in real time."

"As an FCM supporting 24/7 cryptocurrency futures and options trading on CME Globex, Ripple Prime is purpose-built for always-on markets," said Noel Kimmel, President of Ripple Prime. "Institutions managing digital asset exposures demand uninterrupted access to regulated crypto derivatives, underpinned by the clearing and financing infrastructure to match. Ripple Prime was built to meet that demand -- around the clock, without exception."

"Wedbush has been actively serving clients on a 24/7 basis for over a year," said Bob Fitzsimmons, Executive Vice President, Wedbush Securities Inc. "We continue to expand our service in support of the CME Group launch in weekend crypto trading. Client demand drives the evolution of this marketplace. As a service provider we have adopted and developed technology to meet the requirements of the industry and our clients."

Also starting today, Bitcoin Volatility futures are now available to trade 24/7. These first-of-their kind regulated products are designed to help investors manage risk and trade their view on the 30-day implied volatility of bitcoin, without taking a directional price position.

For more information, please visit www.cmegroup.com/crypto.

As the world's leading derivatives marketplace, CME Group (www.cmegroup.com) enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data – empowering market participants worldwide to efficiently manage risk and capture opportunities. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, cryptocurrencies, energy, agricultural products and metals.  The company offers futures and options on futures trading through the CME Globex platform, fixed income trading via BrokerTec and foreign exchange trading on the EBS platform.  In addition, it operates one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers, CME Clearing. 

CME Group, the Globe logo, CME, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Globex, and E-mini are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc.  CBOT and Chicago Board of Trade are trademarks of Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, Inc.  NYMEX, New York Mercantile Exchange and ClearPort are trademarks of New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc.  COMEX is a trademark of Commodity Exchange, Inc. BrokerTec is a trademark of BrokerTec Americas LLC and EBS is a trademark of EBS Group LTD. The S&P 500 Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC ("S&P DJI"). "S&P®", "S&P 500®", "SPY®", "SPX®", US 500 and The 500 are trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC; Dow Jones®, DJIA® and Dow Jones Industrial Average are service and/or trademarks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. These trademarks have been licensed for use by Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. Futures contracts based on the S&P 500 Index are not sponsored, endorsed, marketed, or promoted by S&P DJI, and S&P DJI makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in such products. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 

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SOURCE CME Group