CME Group plans new altcoin futures listings

CME Group said it plans to launch futures contracts linked to Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar on February 9, subject to regulatory approval.

The new contracts would expand CME’s regulated crypto derivatives offering beyond Bitcoin, Ether, XRP and Solana.

CME said the listings aim to meet rising demand for regulated digital asset exposure in the United States.

The exchange plans to offer both standard and micro futures contracts to appeal to a broad range of traders.

Contract sizes will range from 10,000 to 100,000 ADA, 250 to 5,000 LINK, and 12,500 to 250,000 XLM.

Futures products allow traders to hedge or gain exposure to price movements without holding the underlying tokens.

“Digital assets are reaching a global inflection point as they become more integrated into investor portfolios,”

Martin Franchi said.

CME’s announcement follows the rebranding of the Nasdaq Crypto Index as the Nasdaq-CME Crypto Index.

The index tracks prices for several major digital assets, including Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, Chainlink, Cardano and Avalanche.

Market observers said the move signals gradual expansion of altcoin futures within US-regulated markets.

At the time of reporting, Cardano price was $0.3924.