Key Takeaways
- • CME Group will begin round-the-clock trading of its cryptocurrency futures and options, including BTC and ETH products, starting Friday, May 29, 2026, pending regulatory review.
- • CME reported record notional volume of $3 trillion across its crypto futures and options in 2025, according to Tim McCourt, its global head of equities, FX, and alternative products.
- • Year to date, average daily crypto volume is 407,200 contracts, up 46% year over year, and average daily open interest is 335,400 contracts, up 7%.
- • The move responds to institutional demand for hedging across the weekend and overnight gaps that exist in regulated markets while digital assets trade continuously.
- • Competitors Coinbase and Kraken have spent billions of dollars acquiring derivatives service providers, intensifying competition for institutional crypto exposure.
Summary
CME Group, the world's largest derivatives marketplace, will begin offering continuous trading in its cryptocurrency futures and options on Friday, May 29, according to the company's announcement on Thursday, February 19. Per the publisher's domain, trading will run on CME Globex from 4:00 p.m. CT with at least a two-hour maintenance window in the schedule. The update formalizes plans CME outlined earlier to make its crypto futures always on in 2026, and it remains subject to regulatory review.
The change addresses a structural gap. Digital assets trade around the clock on spot exchanges, while traditional regulated markets close overnight and on weekends, leaving institutional participants exposed to timing mismatches in hedging and risk management. CME Group's Tim McCourt said client demand for crypto risk management has reached an all-time high. In a statement, he said that while not all markets lend themselves to 24/7 operation, always-on access to CME's regulated, transparent crypto products lets clients manage exposure and trade with confidence at any time.
CME first launched bitcoin futures in 2017 and later added ether futures and options. It has since broadened its lineup, most recently adding products tied to Cardano, Chainlink, and Stellar. Year-to-date data cited by the firm show average daily crypto volume of 407,200 contracts, up 46% from a year earlier, and average daily open interest of 335,400 contracts, up 7%. Futures volume alone averaged 403,900 contracts per day, a 47% year-over-year increase.
The announcement comes as exchanges compete for institutional crypto flows. Coinbase and Kraken have each spent billions of dollars acquiring derivatives service providers to strengthen their product suites. CME is also moving into adjacent areas, including a partnership with FanDuel to launch a U.S. prediction markets platform.
The change addresses a structural gap. Digital assets trade around the clock on spot exchanges, while traditional regulated markets close overnight and on weekends, leaving institutional participants exposed to timing mismatches in hedging and risk management. CME Group's Tim McCourt said client demand for crypto risk management has reached an all-time high. In a statement, he said that while not all markets lend themselves to 24/7 operation, always-on access to CME's regulated, transparent crypto products lets clients manage exposure and trade with confidence at any time.
CME first launched bitcoin futures in 2017 and later added ether futures and options. It has since broadened its lineup, most recently adding products tied to Cardano, Chainlink, and Stellar. Year-to-date data cited by the firm show average daily crypto volume of 407,200 contracts, up 46% from a year earlier, and average daily open interest of 335,400 contracts, up 7%. Futures volume alone averaged 403,900 contracts per day, a 47% year-over-year increase.
The announcement comes as exchanges compete for institutional crypto flows. Coinbase and Kraken have each spent billions of dollars acquiring derivatives service providers to strengthen their product suites. CME is also moving into adjacent areas, including a partnership with FanDuel to launch a U.S. prediction markets platform.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.