CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) revealed plans to introduce round-the-clock trading for cryptocurrency futures and options starting in early 2026, pending regulatory clearance. The exchange said the move is intended to meet growing client demand for continuous access to digital asset markets.
“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.
CME Globex will host continuous trading of these products, with a minimum two-hour maintenance window each weekend. Trades executed between Friday evening and Sunday evening will be assigned the next business day as the official trade date, with clearing, settlement, and regulatory reporting processed accordingly.
The exchange has reported record-breaking activity in cryptocurrency derivatives throughout 2025. On September 18, CME hit a historic notional open interest of $39 billion. During August, the average daily open interest reached 335,200 contracts, marking a 95% increase year-over-year and a notional value of $31.6 billion.
Average daily trading volume in August also hit a record 411,000 contracts, up 230% from the previous year, totaling $14.9 billion in notional value. The week of September 25 saw more than 1,010 large open interest holders across CME’s cryptocurrency products.
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