CME Group Announces First Trades for New Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar Cryptocurrency Futures

Rhea-AI Summary

CME Group (NYSE: CME) launched futures contracts for Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK) and Stellar (XLM), which began trading on Monday, February 9, 2026.

First trades were executed between institutional counterparties (FalconX, Marex, Cumberland DRW, Wintermute). Contracts are offered in micro- and larger-sized formats to support institutional hedging and capital-efficient exposure.

Positive

• Launched ADA, LINK, and XLM futures on Feb 9, 2026
• Offers both micro- and larger-sized contracts for flexibility
• First trades executed by institutional firms (FalconX, Marex, Cumberland DRW, Wintermute)
• Expands regulated derivatives suite for altcoin spread and long-short strategies

Negative

• None.

Key Figures

Crypto futures start date: February 9, 2026

1 metrics

Crypto futures start date February 9, 2026 First trading day for Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures

Market Reality Check

Price: $302.48 Vol: Volume 2,522,863 vs 20-da...

normal vol

$302.48 Last Close

Volume Volume 2,522,863 vs 20-day avg 2,206,332 (relative volume 1.14x) ahead of this crypto futures milestone. normal

Technical Trading above 200-day MA at 274.45, near 52-week high (within -2.22%).

Peers on Argus

CME fell 1.4% with key peers also lower: ICE -7.54%, COIN -2.85%, NDAQ -2.59%, S...

CME fell 1.4% with key peers also lower: ICE -7.54%, COIN -2.85%, NDAQ -2.59%, SPGI -3.92%, MCO -1.47%. The downside move broadly matches peer weakness despite the positive crypto product milestone.

Common Catalyst Peers showed broad weakness; only ICE had same-day product news, suggesting today’s moves reflect wider pressure on exchange/market-structure names rather than crypto-specific headlines alone.

Previous Crypto Reports

5 past events · Latest: Jan 15 (Positive)

Same Type Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Jan 15	Crypto futures launch	Positive	-1.0%	Announced launch date and contract specs for ADA, LINK and Stellar futures.
Nov 24	Volume record	Positive	+0.9%	Reported all-time daily volume record across cryptocurrency futures and options.
Nov 20	Index launch	Positive	+1.0%	Announced launch of bitcoin volatility indices derived from CME crypto options.
Oct 14	Options launch	Positive	-1.5%	Launched options on Solana and XRP futures with first trades by key liquidity providers.
Oct 02	24/7 trading plan	Positive	-0.1%	Outlined plan for 24/7 cryptocurrency futures and options trading amid record metrics.

Pattern Detected

Crypto-related announcements have often seen mixed to slightly negative next-day reactions, with 3 divergence events vs 2 aligned moves despite generally positive operational news.

Recent Company History

Over recent quarters, CME has repeatedly expanded its cryptocurrency complex with new futures, options and indices, alongside volume and open interest records. Prior crypto-tagged announcements on ADA/LINK/XLM launches, bitcoin volatility indices, 24/7 crypto trading plans, and SOL/XRP options generally described product growth and strong activity, yet price reactions clustered around small moves (average about -0.13%). Today’s first-trades news continues this expansion theme within an already established crypto strategy.

Historical Comparison

crypto

-0.1 %

Average Historical Move

Historical Analysis

In the past 6 months, CME released 5 crypto-related updates with an average next-day move of about -0.13%, suggesting generally muted price impact from similar cryptocurrency expansion headlines.

Typical Pattern

Crypto initiatives have progressed from expanding trading hours and launching volatility indices to adding SOL/XRP options and now ADA, LINK and Stellar futures, broadening CME’s regulated altcoin derivatives coverage.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement highlights CME’s continued expansion of regulated cryptocurrency derivatives, addi...

Analysis

This announcement highlights CME’s continued expansion of regulated cryptocurrency derivatives, adding Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures with first trades by major liquidity providers. It follows earlier crypto initiatives, including SOL and XRP options and new volatility indices, indicating a steady broadening of the crypto complex. Investors may watch subsequent volume, open interest and client adoption across these contracts, alongside how crypto-related activity contributes to overall trading metrics and revenue trends.

Key Terms

futures, options, otc markets, block trade, +1 more

5 terms

futures financial

"announced its new Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK) and Stellar (Lumens) futures began trading"

A futures contract is a standardized agreement to buy or sell an asset (like a commodity, currency, or stock index) at a fixed price on a specific future date. Think of it like locking in the price of a house today for a move-in years from now: it lets buyers and sellers protect themselves against price swings or bet on which way prices will move. For investors, futures matter because they provide a cheap way to manage risk, amplify returns through leverage, and signal market expectations that can move cash prices.

options financial

"enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios"

Options are contracts that give investors the right to buy or sell an asset at a specific price within a certain time frame. They function like a reservation or a ticket that allows for potential profit or protection against price changes, making them useful tools for managing investment risks or speculating on market movements.

otc markets financial

"enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios"

Over-the-counter (OTC) markets are trading venues where buyers and sellers deal directly through dealers or electronic networks instead of on a formal exchange; think of a neighborhood flea market versus a supermarket. They matter to investors because OTC-listed stocks often represent smaller or international companies with fewer reporting requirements, which can mean lower liquidity, wider price swings and higher risk but sometimes earlier access to growth opportunities.

block trade financial

"Cumberland DRW was pleased to execute the first block trade in CME Group's ADA futures"

A block trade is a large, privately arranged sale or purchase of a company's shares or bonds between big investors, often negotiated to avoid upsetting the public market price. Think of it like selling a truckload of goods directly to one buyer instead of unloading it on a busy street — it moves a lot of supply at once and can signal shifting demand, affect immediate liquidity, and influence short-term stock prices.

central counterparty clearing financial

"operates one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers, CME Clearing"

A central counterparty clearing (CCP) is a specialized financial intermediary that sits between buyers and sellers of securities or derivatives, becoming the buyer to every seller and the seller to every buyer to guarantee trades are completed. Like an insurance-backed referee, it manages the risk of someone failing to pay by requiring collateral, pooling resources, and simplifying many trades into smaller net payments, which helps investors by lowering the chance of loss from a counterparty default and improving market stability and liquidity.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

CHICAGO, Feb. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, announced its new Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK) and Stellar (Lumens) futures began trading Monday, February 9, with the first trades for LINK futures and Lumens (XLM) futures executed between FalconX and Marex, and the first trade for ADA futures executed between Cumberland DRW and Wintermute. 

"The early support we've seen for these contracts underscores growing client demand for trusted, regulated products to manage price risk and exposure in this dynamic market," said Giovanni Vicioso, Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products at CME Group. "The addition of these futures, available in both micro- and larger-sized contracts provide investors with the flexible, capital-efficient tools they need to support their cryptocurrency investment and hedging strategies."

"Being first to trade CME Group's new Lumens (XLM) and LINK futures reinforces our focus on building institutional access to the next wave of crypto assets," said Harry Benchimol, Co-Head of Derivatives Engine at Marex Solutions. "As a listed, investment-grade firm operating across both traditional and digital markets, Marex is uniquely positioned to bring these products to institutional clients at scale. While the institutional crypto market continues to broaden, these CME Group contracts expand the regulated futures toolkit to express views and manage risk across an expanding set of crypto assets. We're excited to help drive that next phase."

"The expansion of CME Group's regulated derivatives suite to include Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures provides a richer surface of opportunities for liquid crypto funds to trade spreads and long-short pairs," said Joshua Lim, Global Co-head of Markets, FalconX. "Asset selection has become increasingly important in our industry, and FalconX supports liquidity across all these new altcoin instruments."

"Cumberland DRW was pleased to execute the first block trade in CME Group's ADA futures, which marks another step forward in the evolution of regulated crypto derivatives," said Sudeep Gupta, Global Head of Cumberland Trading. "Building on the successful launch of SOL and XRP futures last year, the expansion of available crypto underlyings gives market participants more precise tools to manage distinct exposures and efficiently deploy capital across the ecosystem. We are proud to be an active participant with CME Group to broaden access to institutional-grade crypto risk management."

"CME Group's continued expansion of listed crypto derivatives is a clear reflection of how institutional participation in crypto markets is evolving," said Ethan Ren, Head of Options at Wintermute Group. "Newly listed altcoin futures give market participants a more standardized way to take and manage price exposure on a trusted, regulated venue, and Wintermute was pleased to execute the first ADA futures block trade."

For more information on these products, please visit cmegroup.com/cryptolaunch.

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.

CME-G

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SOURCE CME Group

FAQ

When did CME Group (CME) start trading Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures?

CME Group began trading ADA, LINK and XLM futures on February 9, 2026. According to CME Group, first trades were executed between institutional counterparties, marking the contracts' market debut.

What contract sizes does CME Group (CME) offer for the new ADA, LINK and XLM futures?

CME offers the new futures in both micro- and larger-sized contract formats. According to CME Group, this is intended to provide flexible, capital-efficient tools for varied institutional and retail strategies.

Who executed the first trades in CME Group's (CME) LINK and XLM futures?

The first LINK and XLM futures trades were executed between FalconX and Marex. According to CME Group, these executions highlight early institutional support for the newly listed altcoin contracts.

Who executed the first Cardano (ADA) futures trade on CME Group (CME)?

The first ADA futures trade was executed between Cumberland DRW and Wintermute. According to CME Group, this block trade demonstrates institutional participation at launch for ADA futures.

How do the new CME Group (CME) futures affect institutional crypto risk management?

The new futures expand regulated tools for expressing views and managing crypto price exposure. According to CME Group, institutions can trade spreads, long-short pairs, and hedge exposures across more altcoin underlyings.