The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group, a prominent marketplace for derivatives, has revealed plans to broaden its service offerings to include continuous, “always on” trading for digital asset markets, anticipated to launch in 2026.
According to a statement released Thursday, the CME Group indicated its intention, pending regulatory approval, to provide clients with the ability to trade cryptocurrency futures and options “24 hours a day, seven days a week, starting in early 2026.” This “around-the-clock cryptocurrency trading” capability will mark a substantial enhancement to its current services, moving beyond the scheduled breaks observed during weekends, holidays, and off-business hours.
Tim McCourt, CME Group’s global head overseeing equities, foreign exchange, and alternative investment products, commented, “While not every market is suited for round-the-clock operation, the demand from clients for continuous cryptocurrency trading has surged. Market participants increasingly require tools to manage their risk profiles every day of the week. Ensuring the constant availability of our regulated crypto markets will empower clients to trade with confidence at any hour.”
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Based on data sourced from CoinMarketCap, the global open interest in crypto derivatives approximated $3.2 billion at the time this article was composed. As of September 18, CME Group disclosed a notional open interest volume of around $39 billion.
Awaiting Regulatory Scrutiny Amidst Government Shutdown
The planned trading options must undergo regulatory review by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the government agency tasked with regulating derivatives markets. However, due to the U.S. Congress’s failure to approve a funding bill, the CFTC is currently operating with limited capacity. This situation casts doubt on the regulator’s ability to thoroughly assess the 24/7 trading proposal until the shutdown concludes.
During a recent joint roundtable discussion involving the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the CFTC, CME Group CEO Terrence Duffy stated that continuous trading is becoming a market necessity, suggesting that cryptocurrency offers the most viable path to achieving this goal.
While a U.S. government shutdown extending into 2026 is considered improbable – the longest shutdown lasted 35 days between 2018 and 2019 – no agreement was being deliberated at the time of publication.
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