CME Group to Launch 24/7 Cryptocurrency Futures and Options Trading on May 29

Rhea-AI Summary

CME Group (CME) will begin 24/7 trading of regulated Cryptocurrency futures and options on May 29, pending regulatory review. Trading starts Friday, May 29 at 4:00 p.m. CT on CME Globex, with a minimum two-hour weekly maintenance window.

Holiday/weekend trades from Friday evening through Sunday evening will carry the following business day trade date, with clearing, settlement and reporting processed the next business day. CME cited record notional volume of $3 trillion in 2025 and 2026 year-to-date ADV of 407,200 contracts (+46% Y/Y).

Positive

• $3 trillion notional Cryptocurrency volume in 2025 (record)
• Average daily volume 407,200 contracts, up 46% Y/Y
• Futures ADV 403,900 contracts, up 47% Y/Y
• Continuous trading may improve liquidity and round‑the‑clock risk management

Negative

• Launch is pending regulatory review, creating execution risk
• Weekend/holiday trades have next‑business‑day trade date and settlement
• Platform requires a minimum two‑hour weekly maintenance window

Key Figures

Crypto notional volume: $3 trillion Start of 24/7 trading: May 29 Crypto ADV: 407,200 contracts +3 more

6 metrics

Crypto notional volume $3 trillion Cryptocurrency futures and options notional in 2025

Start of 24/7 trading May 29 24/7 crypto futures and options access, pending review

Crypto ADV 407,200 contracts Year-to-date average daily volume, up 46% YoY

Open interest 335,400 contracts Year-to-date average daily open interest, up 7% YoY

Futures ADV 403,900 contracts Year-to-date futures average daily volume, up 47% YoY

Start time 4:00 p.m. CT Continuous crypto trading begins Friday, May 29

Market Reality Check

Price: $302.55 Vol: Volume 2,046,248 vs 20-da...

normal vol

$302.55 Last Close

Volume Volume 2,046,248 vs 20-day average 2,232,037 (relative activity 0.92x). normal

Technical Trading above 200-day MA with price 302.55 vs MA(200) 275.03, and 2.2% below 52-week high.

Peers on Argus

CME slipped -0.22% while major data/exchange peers like MCO (+2.72%), NDAQ (+1.4...

CME slipped -0.22% while major data/exchange peers like MCO (+2.72%), NDAQ (+1.41%) and SPGI (+1.3%) rose. Crypto‑focused peer COIN fell -0.81%, and ICE ticked up 0.27%, indicating today’s move was stock‑specific rather than a broad sector rotation.

Previous Crypto Reports

5 past events · Latest: Feb 11 (Positive)

Same Type Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Feb 11	New crypto futures	Positive	-0.3%	Launch and first trades in ADA, LINK and XLM futures.
Jan 15	Crypto suite expansion	Positive	-1.0%	Announcement of upcoming ADA, LINK and Stellar futures launch.
Nov 24	Record crypto volume	Positive	+0.9%	All-time daily volume record across crypto futures and options.
Nov 20	Bitcoin vol indices	Positive	+1.0%	Launch of bitcoin volatility indices with CF Benchmarks.
Oct 14	SOL & XRP options	Positive	-1.5%	Launch of options on Solana and XRP futures with new expiries.

Pattern Detected

Crypto-related announcements have often seen mixed or negative next-day moves, with 3 of 5 tagged events showing negative reactions despite growth-focused news.

Recent Company History

Over recent months, CME has steadily expanded its cryptocurrency complex, adding new futures for Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar and later reporting first trades between major institutional counterparties. It also introduced bitcoin volatility indices with CF Benchmarks and launched options on Solana and XRP futures, broadening hedging tools and expiries. These steps built on record cryptocurrency volumes and open interest, setting the stage for today’s move to 24/7 trading access within its regulated derivatives framework.

Historical Comparison

-0.2% avg move · Crypto-tagged news for CME has averaged a modest -0.16% next-day move, suggesting historically muted...

crypto

-0.2%

Average Historical Move crypto

Crypto-tagged news for CME has averaged a modest -0.16% next-day move, suggesting historically muted or mixed price responses to similar expansion headlines.

Crypto initiatives progressed from adding SOL and XRP options to record complex volumes, new volatility indices, and sequential launches and first trades in ADA, LINK and Stellar futures.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement extends CME’s regulated crypto derivatives by offering 24/7 futures and options tr...

Analysis

This announcement extends CME’s regulated crypto derivatives by offering 24/7 futures and options trading starting May 29, building on record $3 trillion 2025 notional volume and strong year-to-date ADV growth. It follows a series of crypto product launches and record activity across the complex. Investors may watch how continuous trading affects volumes, liquidity and client adoption, and how it complements CME’s broader multi-asset franchise and recent regulatory and earnings disclosures.

Key Terms

futures, options, notional volume, cme globex, +1 more

5 terms

futures financial

"Cryptocurrency futures and options will be available for trading 24 hours a day"

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

"Cryptocurrency futures and options will be available for trading 24 hours a day"

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.

notional volume financial

"driving a record $3 trillion in notional volume across our Cryptocurrency futures"

Notional volume is the total dollar value represented by a set of financial contracts — calculated by multiplying the number of contracts by the price of the underlying asset — rather than the count of contracts alone. Think of it like reporting the total cost of items in a shopping cart instead of just how many items are in the cart. Investors use it to gauge the true size, market activity and potential risk or exposure tied to trades or positions.

cme globex technical

"Cryptocurrency futures and options will trade continuously on CME Globex with"

CME Globex is the electronic trading system for futures and options that automatically matches buy and sell orders across global markets, allowing trading almost 24/7. It matters to investors because it provides fast, continuous price information and execution—like an online marketplace that keeps buyers and sellers connected around the clock—so market-moving news and orders can change prices quickly and liquidity is available outside traditional trading hours.

central counterparty clearing technical

"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. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, today announced that its regulated Cryptocurrency futures and options will be available for trading 24 hours a day, seven days a week beginning on May 29, pending regulatory review.

"Client demand for risk management in the digital asset market is at an all-time high, driving a record $3 trillion in notional volume across our Cryptocurrency futures and options in 2025," said Tim McCourt, Global Head of Equities, FX and Alternative Products at CME Group. "While not all markets lend themselves to operating 24/7, providing always-on access to our regulated, transparent Cryptocurrency products ensures clients can manage their exposure and trade with confidence at any time."

Beginning Friday, May 29 at 4:00 p.m. CT, CME Group Cryptocurrency futures and options will trade continuously on CME Globex with at least a two-hour weekly maintenance period over the weekend. All holiday or weekend trading from Friday evening through Sunday evening will have a trade date of the following business day, with clearing, settlement and regulatory reporting processed the following business day as well.

Cryptocurrency futures and options continue to reach record volumes at CME Group in 2026. Year-to-date highlights include:

• Average daily volume (ADV) of 407,200 contracts, up 46% year-over-year, and average daily open interest of 335,400 contracts, up 7% year-over-year
• Futures ADV of 403,900 contracts, up 47% year-over-year

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 will CME (CME) begin 24/7 Cryptocurrency futures and options trading?

CME will start 24/7 Cryptocurrency futures and options trading on May 29, beginning at 4:00 p.m. CT. According to the company, this launch is pending regulatory review and will run on CME Globex with a weekly maintenance window.

How will weekend and holiday trades be processed under CME's 24/7 crypto schedule?

Weekend and holiday trades will carry the following business day trade date, with clearing and settlement processed the next business day. According to the company, reporting and clearing occur on the subsequent business day after weekend activity.

What liquidity metrics support CME's decision to offer 24/7 crypto trading (CME)?

CME reported a record $3 trillion notional in 2025 and 2026 YTD ADV of 407,200 contracts, up 46% Y/Y. According to the company, those volumes underpin demand for round‑the‑clock regulated markets.

Will continuous trading on CME Globex affect clearing and settlement timing for crypto products?

Clearing and settlement for weekend/holiday trades will be processed on the following business day, not in real time overnight. According to the company, this preserves standard clearing and regulatory reporting timelines.

What operational constraints apply to CME's 24/7 Cryptocurrency trading launch?

CME's 24/7 schedule includes at least a two‑hour weekly maintenance period and trade-date rules for weekends. According to the company, maintenance and next‑day processing are part of the operating model.