CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, is set to expand its services by offering 24/7 trading for cryptocurrency futures and options starting in early 2026, pending regulatory review. This move aims to cater to the growing demand for around-the-clock cryptocurrency trading, allowing market participants to manage their risk at any time.
The continuous trading will be available on the CME Globex platform, with a minimum 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. Clearing, settlement, and regulatory reporting will also be processed the following business day.
Tim McCourt, Global Head of Equities, FX and Alternative Products at CME Group, stated that ensuring their regulated cryptocurrency markets are always on will enable clients to trade with confidence at any time. He added that while not all markets lend themselves to operating 24/7, client demand for around-the-clock cryptocurrency trading has grown significantly.
This potential expansion follows record volumes in CME's crypto segment during 2025. CME reported a record average daily volume of 340,000 cryptocurrency contracts in Q3 2025, representing approximately $14.1 billion in notional value. Ether futures reached a quarterly record of 236,000 contracts, while Micro Ether futures set a record of 209,000 contracts. In September alone, cryptocurrency ADV hit 309,000 contracts, with Micro Ether futures surging 472% year-over-year. On September 18, the market noted peak notional open interest at $39 billion. August saw a record average daily open interest of 335,200 contracts, up 95% year-on-year, representing an average $31.6B notional. The August ADV record was 411,000 contracts, up 230% year on year, representing $14.9 billion notional. The week of September 25 saw a record of more than 1,010 large open interest holders across cryptocurrency products.
The move to 24/7 trading may reduce traders' reliance on offshore venues for weekend and overnight risk management. It also signals CME's intent to capture a greater share of institutional crypto derivatives activity within regulated US markets. However, this change will require infrastructure adjustments in clearing, margin, and settlement to handle continuous operations.
CME Group enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data. CME Group exchanges offer a wide range of global benchmark products across major asset classes, including 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. CME Group also operates one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers, CME Clearing.
