In brief
- CME Group plans to offer round-the-clock trading next year.
- The setup will still include some downtime, with holiday considerations.
- CME crypto contracts have reached record volumes this year.
The world’s largest derivatives marketplace plans to offer customers round-the-clock trading for its cryptocurrency products next year, CME Group said on Thursday.
In a blog post, the organization said that its cryptocurrency futures and options, which currently cover Bitcoin and Ethereum, will become tradable 24/7 in early 2026, pending regulatory review. Meanwhile, Solana and XRP options are expected to become available on Oct. 13.
A CME spokesperson confirmed to Decrypt that the shift will apply to “all the crypto products that we have listed.”
In a statement, Tim McCourt, GME group’s global head of equities, FX, and alternative products, said, “Client demand for around-the-clock cryptocurrency trading has grown as market participants need to manage their risk every day of the week.”
Although the shift puts CME in closer harmony with crypto markets that trade round-the-clock, CME said the project is not anticipated to be a perfect match. It will be subject to a two-hour maintenance period weekly, with other considerations for holidays.
GME Group noted that its cryptocurrency futures and options have hit “record volumes” this year, as crypto becomes more deeply embedded in traditional finance under a crypto-friendly White House and regulators adopting a collaborative stance.
Notional open interest, which represents the outstanding value of contracts, reached a record $39 billion in mid-September, CME said. In August, CME had 335,200 outstanding contracts, up 95% year-over-year, it said.
“Only the OGs will have known about CME gaps,” an account that goes by Big Wick Nick said on X, referring to the visible empty space on a price chart for Bitcoin CME futures that has occurred for years on the weekend. “A new era begins.”
CME first offered Bitcoin futures in 2017. This year, CME stepped into the realm of prediction markets with help from FanDuel, too.
The CME is engaged in crypto in more subtle ways. A market surveillance team at the CME monitors trading to prevent any sketchy behavior, such as market manipulation, a key factor in the SEC’s approval of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds last year.
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