CME Group plans to introduce around-the-clock trading for crypto futures and options in early 2026, responding to rising institutional demand and aiming to reduce price gaps, despite regulatory hurdles and operational challenges.

CME Group is gearing up to introduce 24/7 trading for cryptocurrency futures and options sometime in early 2026, but of course, that’s all contingent on getting the go-ahead from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Right now, CME’s crypto markets shut down on weekends and holidays, which is quite different from the overall crypto market, which runs nonstop. The plan is for these new trading hours to happen on the CME Globex platform — with a two-hour maintenance window each weekend — and, interestingly enough, trades made during weekends or holidays will be tagged with the next business day’s date, with clearing, settlement, and reporting handled accordingly. Basically, this move seems to be a response to rising institutional demand for uninterrupted risk management tools across the entire week.

This decision follows a pretty remarkable year for CME’s crypto derivatives business in 2025. For example, in August alone, the exchange processed around 411,000 contracts daily—an eye-popping 230% jump compared to the previous year—worth nearly $15 billion. During the third quarter, daily averages sat at 340,000 contracts, roughly $14.1 billion in value. And by mid-September, open interest hit a new high of $39 billion, fueled by more than 1,000 big traders holding open positions, which really points to growing institutional involvement. CME currently dominates the Bitcoin and Ethereum futures scene, with open interests of $16.8 billion and $9.8 billion respectively, clearly establishing its leading role in regulated crypto derivatives.

One of the big reasons for moving toward continuous trading is to do away with what’s known as “CME gaps.” These are the price discrepancies that pop up when Bitcoin’s price moves during CME’s weekend closures and the market reopens. Interestingly enough, it’s been shown that roughly 65% of these gaps get filled eventually, so offering round-the-clock trading could reduce these discrepancies, potentially winding up changing how Bitcoin futures prices behave.

CME’s boss, Terry Duffy, shared a pretty broad vision for 24/7 trading — not just for crypto, but more generally for finance. He said at the September joint SEC-CFTC meeting that eventually, continuous trading will probably become normal in financial markets overall, with crypto markets being kind of a stepping stone toward that future. Many exchange leaders seemed to agree, though they also acknowledged some operational hurdles. For instance, Nasdaq’s CEO Adena Friedman pointed out they’re preparing for longer trading hours but highlighted the complexity of the task, while Jeff Sprecher of Intercontinental Exchange emphasized that market-driven decisions will ultimately determine which products deserve continuous trading.

Of course, regulatory approval is still a must before this can happen. And, well, things aren’t exactly smooth sailing — the ongoing U.S. government shutdown that started on October 1, 2025, has slowed down the CFTC’s operations to just the essential functions, which probably will delay the review process. But, given their goal for early 2026, there’s still quite a bit of time to get clearance once government agencies are running normally again.

This move by CME aligns with broader industry trends aiming to make crypto trading more accessible and seamless. For instance, Coinbase has recently added 24/7 futures trading for U.S. customers and even bought Deribit, a major options marketplace, for about $2.9 billion. Meanwhile, Cboe is planning to launch continuous Bitcoin and Ethereum futures later this year, which will ramp up competition among regulated exchanges. CME itself has expanded its product lineup in 2025 — adding XRP and Solana futures, both gaining popularity fast. And they’re planning to launch options trading for Solana and XRP futures in October, broadening the toolkit for institutional traders managing crypto risk.

For traders, the biggest perk of round-the-clock trading is the ability to react immediately to market moves — no need to wait until markets reopen after weekends or holidays. This feature also means less reliance on offshore exchanges offering continuous trading, which, while tempting, lack the same level of regulation, making it potentially riskier for institutional players. That said, supporting uninterrupted clearing and settlement systems will require significant upgrades to existing infrastructure, and as Don Wilson from DRW Holdings pointed out at a recent regulatory roundtable, enabling 24/7 trading demands systems capable of handling collateral movements at all hours — so, yeah, operational challenges are definitely on the horizon.

CME’s push into 24/7 crypto trading marks a key step in blending digital assets with traditional finance. Since pioneering Bitcoin futures back in 2017, the exchange has grown its crypto derivatives into a multi-billion dollar market that now parallels many established financial products. Bringing regulated crypto offerings closer in line with the always-active spot markets could encourage even more institutional participation by making risk management available whenever needed — instead of having to shift funds out to less regulated venues. While regulatory approval and technical upgrades are still underway, CME is clearly positioning itself at the forefront of this major transformation in market infrastructure.

It’s pretty interesting, right? This could really shake things up in the way we think about continuous trading — and maybe, just maybe, set a new standard for the entire financial industry down the line.


References:

Source: Noah Wire Services

Verification / Sources

  • https://bitrss.com/cme-group-to-launch-24-7-crypto-trading-in-2026-132377 - Please view link - unable to able to access data
  • https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cme-group-to-offer-around-the-clock-trading-for-cryptocurrency-futures-and-options-302573425.html - CME Group has announced plans to offer 24/7 trading for cryptocurrency futures and options starting in early 2026, pending regulatory approval. This decision responds to growing client demand for continuous cryptocurrency trading, enabling market participants to manage risk every day of the week. The trading will occur on the CME Globex platform with 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 accordingly.
  • https://www.cmegroup.com/news/2025/coming-soon-24-7-crypto-futures-and-options.html - CME Group has announced plans to offer 24/7 trading for cryptocurrency futures and options starting in early 2026, pending regulatory approval. This decision responds to growing client demand for continuous cryptocurrency trading, enabling market participants to manage risk every day of the week. The trading will occur on the CME Globex platform with 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 accordingly.
  • https://www.investing.com/news/cryptocurrency-news/cme-group-plans-247-cryptocurrency-and-options-trading-starting-early-2026-432SI-4268919 - CME Group has announced plans to offer 24/7 trading for cryptocurrency futures and options starting in early 2026, pending regulatory approval. This decision responds to growing client demand for continuous cryptocurrency trading, enabling market participants to manage risk every day of the week. The trading will occur on the CME Globex platform with 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 accordingly.
  • https://www.blockworks.co/news/cme-group-crypto-derivatives-expansion - CME Group has announced plans to offer 24/7 trading for cryptocurrency futures and options starting in early 2026, pending regulatory approval. This decision responds to growing client demand for continuous cryptocurrency trading, enabling market participants to manage risk every day of the week. The trading will occur on the CME Globex platform with 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 accordingly.
  • https://www.mexc.com/en-GB/news/cme-group-expands-crypto-futures-with-round-the-clock-trading-in-2026/117283 - CME Group has announced plans to offer 24/7 trading for cryptocurrency futures and options starting in early 2026, pending regulatory approval. This decision responds to growing client demand for continuous cryptocurrency trading, enabling market participants to manage risk every day of the week. The trading will occur on the CME Globex platform with 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 accordingly.
  • https://news.bloomberglaw.com/privacy-and-data-security/cme-group-plans-24-7-crypto-futures-and-options-trading-in-2026 - CME Group has announced plans to offer 24/7 trading for cryptocurrency futures and options starting in early 2026, pending regulatory approval. This decision responds to growing client demand for continuous cryptocurrency trading, enabling market participants to manage risk every day of the week. The trading will occur on the CME Globex platform with 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 accordingly.

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first emerged. We've since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score: 10

Notes: The narrative is based on a recent press release from CME Group dated October 2, 2025, announcing plans to offer 24/7 trading for cryptocurrency futures and options starting in early 2026, pending regulatory approval. (prnewswire.com) This indicates high freshness.

Quotes check

Score: 10

Notes: The direct quotes from Tim McCourt, Global Head of Equities, FX and Alternative Products at CME Group, and Giovanni Vicioso, Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products at CME Group, are sourced from the official CME Group press release dated October 2, 2025. (prnewswire.com) No earlier usage of these quotes was found, suggesting originality.

Source reliability

Score: 10

Notes: The narrative originates from a press release issued by CME Group, a reputable and authoritative source in the financial industry. This enhances the reliability of the information presented.

Plausability check

Score: 10

Notes: The announcement aligns with CME Group's recent initiatives to expand its cryptocurrency offerings, such as the launch of XRP futures on May 19, 2025. (investor.cmegroup.com) The plan to introduce 24/7 trading for crypto futures and options in early 2026 is consistent with industry trends towards continuous trading and meets the growing demand for uninterrupted trading hours.

Overall assessment

Veredict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH

Summary: The narrative is based on a recent press release from CME Group, dated October 2, 2025, announcing plans to offer 24/7 trading for cryptocurrency futures and options starting in early 2026, pending regulatory approval. (prnewswire.com) The quotes from CME Group executives are original and sourced directly from this press release. The source is highly reliable, originating from CME Group itself. The information is plausible and aligns with CME Group's recent initiatives in the cryptocurrency market. Therefore, the narrative passes the fact-check with high confidence.