CME Group to Offer Around-the-Clock Trading for Cryptocurrency Futures and Options

Rhea-AI Summary

CME Group (NYSE:CME), the world's leading derivatives marketplace, has announced plans to introduce 24/7 trading for cryptocurrency futures and options starting in early 2026, subject to regulatory approval. The continuous trading will be conducted on CME Globex with a scheduled two-hour weekly maintenance window.

The announcement comes amid record-breaking performance in CME's cryptocurrency products, including: $39 billion in notional open interest (September 18), 335,200 contracts in average daily open interest for August (up 95% YoY), and 411,000 contracts in August average daily volume (up 230% YoY). The platform also achieved a milestone of over 1,010 large open interest holders across cryptocurrency products.

Positive

• Record notional open interest of $39 billion achieved in September 2025
• August average daily volume up 230% year-over-year to 411,000 contracts
• August average daily open interest increased 95% year-over-year to 335,200 contracts
• Reached over 1,010 large open interest holders across crypto products
• Expansion to 24/7 trading enhances market accessibility and risk management capabilities

Negative

• Implementation subject to pending regulatory review
• Weekly maintenance period will still interrupt continuous trading
• Settlement and clearing processes delayed to next business day for weekend trading

Insights

Derivatives Market Specialist

CME's 24/7 crypto derivatives trading marks significant market evolution, responding to growing institutional demand with record volumes.

CME Group's move to offer round-the-clock trading for cryptocurrency derivatives represents a significant market evolution that acknowledges the borderless, always-on nature of digital asset markets. This strategic decision bridges a critical gap between traditional finance operating hours and the 24/7 cryptocurrency spot markets, potentially reducing weekend price dislocations and arbitrage opportunities that have plagued institutional participants.

The timing aligns with remarkable growth in CME's cryptocurrency products, evidenced by the $39 billion record notional open interest and 95% year-over-year increase in average daily open interest. The 230% surge in average daily volume to 411,000 contracts represents approximately $14.9 billion in daily notional value, signaling robust institutional adoption.

Most telling is the record of over 1,010 large open interest holders, which indicates broader institutional participation rather than concentration among a few players. This metric serves as a reliable proxy for measuring institutional involvement since these positions must be reported to regulators.

The planned implementation includes prudent risk management with a maintenance window and special handling for weekend trades, maintaining regulatory compliance while extending hours. This balanced approach should appeal to risk-conscious institutional traders who value CME's central clearing counterparty services and regulatory framework, while still meeting their need for continuous risk management capabilities in volatile crypto markets.

CHICAGO, Oct. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, today announced that its cryptocurrency futures and options will be available to trade 24 hours a day, seven days a week beginning in early 2026, pending regulatory review.

"While not all markets lend themselves to operating 24/7, client demand for around-the-clock cryptocurrency trading has grown as market participants need to manage their risk every day of the week," said Tim McCourt, Global Head of Equities, FX and Alternative Products at CME Group. "Ensuring that our regulated cryptocurrency markets are always on will enable clients to trade with confidence at any time."

Beginning in early 2026, 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 have reached record volumes at CME Group in 2025. Highlights include:

• Record notional open interest of $39 billion on September 18
• Record August average daily open interest of 335,200 contracts, up 95% year on year and representing an average $31.6B notional
• Record August ADV of 411,000 contracts, up 230% year on year and representing $14.9 billion notional
• Record of more than 1,010 large open interest holders across cryptocurrency products the week of September 25

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, energy, agricultural products, metals and cryptocurrencies. 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 Group start offering 24/7 cryptocurrency trading?

CME Group plans to launch 24/7 cryptocurrency futures and options trading in early 2026, pending regulatory review.

What are the recent trading volume records for CME Group's cryptocurrency products?

In August 2025, CME achieved record average daily volume of 411,000 contracts (up 230% YoY) and record notional open interest of $39 billion on September 18.

How will CME Group's 24/7 crypto trading work during weekends?

Weekend trading from Friday evening through Sunday evening will have the following business day's trade date, with clearing, settlement, and regulatory reporting processed on that business day.

What is the growth rate of CME's cryptocurrency trading activity?

CME's crypto trading shows substantial growth with August average daily open interest up 95% YoY and average daily volume up 230% YoY.

Will there be any downtime in CME's 24/7 cryptocurrency trading?

Yes, there will be a scheduled two-hour weekly maintenance period over the weekend while trading on CME Globex.