CME Group to Expand Crypto Derivatives Suite with Launch of Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar Futures

Rhea-AI Summary

CME Group (NYSE:CME) announced it will launch futures for Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK) and Stellar (Lumens) on February 9, 2026, pending regulatory review. The firm will list both standard and micro contracts: ADA (100,000) & Micro ADA (10,000); LINK (5,000) & Micro LINK (250); Lumens (250,000) & Micro Lumens (12,500). The new contracts expand CME's crypto suite alongside Bitcoin, Ether, XRP and Solana futures and options. 2025 trading highlights include record futures and options ADV of 278,300 contracts ($12B notional) and record average open interest of 313,900 contracts ($26.4B notional).

Positive

• Launch of ADA, LINK and Lumens futures on Feb 9, 2026 (pending review)
• Micro and standard contract sizes increase retail and institutional access
• Expands crypto suite beyond Bitcoin and Ether to six listed assets
• 2025 record trading: ADV 278,300 contracts ($12B notional)

Negative

• Launch is pending regulatory review, which could delay or change timing

News Market Reaction

-0.96%

1 alert

-0.96% News Effect

On the day this news was published, CME declined 0.96%, reflecting a mild negative market reaction.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.

Key Figures

ADA futures contract size: 100,000 ADA Micro ADA futures size: 10,000 ADA LINK futures contract size: 5,000 LINK +5 more

8 metrics

ADA futures contract size 100,000 ADA Standard Cardano futures contract

Micro ADA futures size 10,000 ADA Micro Cardano futures contract

LINK futures contract size 5,000 LINK Standard Chainlink futures contract

Micro LINK futures size 250 LINK Micro Chainlink futures contract

Lumens futures size 250,000 Lumens Standard Stellar futures contract

Micro Lumens futures size 12,500 Lumens Micro Stellar futures contract

Crypto futures & options ADV 278,300 contracts 2025 record, ≈$12B notional

Crypto open interest record 313,900 contracts 2025 average OI, ≈$26.4B notional

Market Reality Check

Price: $289.83 Vol: Volume 1,738,245 is close...

normal vol

$289.83 Last Close

Volume Volume 1,738,245 is close to the 20-day average 1,793,377 (relative volume 0.97). normal

Technical Price at 275.23 is trading above the 200-day MA of 271.74, indicating a firmly established uptrend.

Peers on Argus

CME gained 2.53% pre-news while major exchange peers also rose: ICE +3.91%, NDAQ...

CME gained 2.53% pre-news while major exchange peers also rose: ICE +3.91%, NDAQ +2.02%, SPGI +0.92%, MCO +0.77%. Crypto-native peer COIN slipped 0.41%, suggesting CME’s move is more company-specific than a broad crypto rally.

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: 2026-01-13 (Positive)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
2026-01-13	Metals product launch	Positive	+1.3%	Announced 100-ounce Silver futures to tap strong retail metals demand.
2026-01-08	Volume record update	Positive	-0.1%	Reported record 2025 international ADV growth across regions and asset classes.
2026-01-06	Ag sentiment index	Neutral	-2.1%	Purdue/CME Ag Economy Barometer dipped while long-term farmland expectations rose.
2026-01-05	ADV performance	Positive	+2.0%	Reported record 2025 ADV of 28.1M contracts and several asset-class records.
2025-12-22	New app launch	Positive	+1.5%	Launched FanDuel Predicts event-contract trading in select U.S. states.

Pattern Detected

Recent product and volume-related announcements often coincide with modest price gains, though a couple of macro or sentiment-driven releases have seen short-term divergences.

Recent Company History

Over recent months, CME has repeatedly highlighted expansion and record activity. It announced a new 100-Ounce Silver futures contract effective February 9, 2026 and reported record 2025 international ADV of 8.4M contracts and global ADV of 28.1M. Other releases covered softer farmer sentiment via the Ag Economy Barometer at 136 and the FanDuel Predicts launch with contracts priced from $0.01 to $0.99. Today’s crypto launch continues this pattern of broadening product scope after multiple volume and product milestones.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement adds Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures, with both standard and micro contract...

Analysis

This announcement adds Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures, with both standard and micro contract sizes, to CME’s regulated crypto suite, building on record 2025 ADV of 278,300 crypto contracts. Historical crypto-tag news has often coincided with modest positive reactions but also some divergences. Investors may focus on whether these new listings meaningfully boost volumes versus existing Bitcoin, Ether, XRP and Solana products, and how demand for micro contracts from retail and institutional users evolves over time.

Key Terms

micro futures, average daily volume, open interest, notional, +3 more

7 terms

micro futures financial

"Record futures and options average daily volume (ADV) of 278,300 contracts..."

Micro futures are smaller-sized versions of standard futures contracts that let traders buy or sell a fraction of the exposure offered by a full contract. Think of them like a “mini” ticket to bet on the future price of an asset—because each contract is much smaller, investors can get market exposure, practice strategies, or hedge positions with less cash and smaller potential losses than with standard futures. They matter because they lower the cost of participation and make leverage and risk management accessible to smaller or more cautious investors.

average daily volume financial

"Record futures and options average daily volume (ADV) of 278,300 contracts..."

Average daily volume is the typical number of shares or contracts of a security traded each day, calculated by averaging daily trading amounts over a recent period. It matters to investors because it indicates how easy it is to buy or sell without moving the price—like traffic on a road: high volume is a busy freeway that lets many cars pass smoothly, while low volume can make large orders cause big price changes and higher costs.

open interest financial

"and record average open interest (OI) of 313,900 contracts ($26.4 billion notional)"

Open interest is the total number of outstanding futures or options contracts that have been created but not yet closed or settled. Think of it like the number of active tickets in a queue — higher open interest means more traders are involved and the market is more liquid, which helps price moves be more reliable and shows the strength of investor interest or conviction in a trend.

notional financial

"ADV of 278,300 contracts ($12 billion notional) and record average open interest"

Notional refers to the reference amount used to calculate payments or measure the size of a financial contract, without representing actual cash that changes hands. For investors it shows the scale of exposure — like the mileage used to compute a car rental bill even though you don’t buy the miles themselves — and helps compare risk and potential gains or losses across instruments.

options on futures financial

"includes Bitcoin, Ether, XRP and Solana futures and options on futures."

An option on a futures contract is a financial contract that gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to enter into a futures agreement at a set price by a certain date, in exchange for a small upfront fee. For investors it matters because it lets you gain or hedge exposure to a commodity, currency, or index with limited upfront cost and defined downside — like buying a reservation ticket that locks in a future price without forcing you to follow through.

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.

central counterparty clearing financial

"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, Jan. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, today announced plans to expand its leading suite of regulated Cryptocurrency derivatives with the launch of Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK) and Stellar (Lumens) futures on February 9, pending regulatory review.

Market participants will have the choice to trade both micro-sized and larger-sized contracts:

• ADA futures (100,000 ADA) and Micro ADA futures (10,000 ADA)
• LINK futures (5,000 LINK) and Micro LINK futures (250 LINK)
• Lumens futures (250,000 Lumens) and Micro Lumens futures (12,500 Lumens)

"Given crypto's record growth over the last year, clients are looking for trusted, regulated products to manage price risk as well as additional tools to gain exposure to this dynamic market," said Giovanni Vicioso, CME Group Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products. "With these new micro- and larger-size Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures contracts, market participants will now have greater choice with enhanced flexibility and more capital-efficiencies."

"Wedbush recognizes the continued maturing of regulated crypto futures contract listings," said Bob Fitzsimmons, Executive Vice President, Wedbush Securities Inc. "We are happy to continue supporting CME Group's expansion of its product list, both for retail and institutional clients."

"Digital assets are reaching a global inflection point as they become increasingly mainstream and more deeply integrated into investors' portfolios," said Martin Franchi, CEO of NinjaTrader. "Today's announcement from CME Group marks a watershed moment for the futures industry, creating more innovative and accessible on-ramps for traders seeking crypto exposure. As futures trading continues to grow in popularity among retail investors, we're excited to be part of this shift and to help provide traders with greater choice and flexibility. With demand for these products continuing to rise, we're thrilled to be part of this new frontier."

"CME Group has yet again set the standard in innovation with their expansion into these offerings," said Justin Young, CEO and Co-Founder of Volatility Shares. "As one of the world's largest traders of crypto futures, Volatility Shares is excited to see more regulated financial products available for trading and risk management."

Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures will join the company's rapidly expanding Cryptocurrency product suite, which includes Bitcoin, Ether, XRP and Solana futures and options on futures. 2025 trading highlights include:

• Record futures and options average daily volume (ADV) of 278,300 contracts ($12 billion notional) and record average open interest (OI) of 313,900 contracts ($26.4 billion notional)
• Record futures ADV of 272,200 contracts ($11.7 billion notional) and record average OI of 253,600 contracts ($21.4 billion notional)
• Record options ADV of 4,100 contracts ($231 million notional) and average OI of 60,400 contracts ($5 billion notional)

For more information on these products, please visit: www.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

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cme-group-to-expand-crypto-derivatives-suite-with-launch-of-cardano-chainlink-and-stellar-futures-302661945.html

SOURCE CME Group

FAQ

When will CME Group begin trading Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures (CME)?

CME plans to list the futures on February 9, 2026, subject to regulatory review.

What are the contract sizes for the new CME ADA, LINK and Lumens futures?

Contract sizes: ADA 100,000 and Micro ADA 10,000; LINK 5,000 and Micro LINK 250; Lumens 250,000 and Micro Lumens 12,500.

How do the new futures affect CME's cryptocurrency product lineup (CME)?

They expand the suite to include Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar alongside Bitcoin, Ether, XRP and Solana futures and options.

What trading volumes did CME report for its cryptocurrency products in 2025?

2025 highlights show record futures and options ADV of 278,300 contracts ($12B notional) and average OI of 313,900 contracts ($26.4B notional).

Will retail traders be able to access the new CME crypto futures?

Yes. CME will list both micro-sized and larger-sized contracts designed to improve access for retail and institutional traders.