Polymarket, the world's largest prediction market, has received the green light from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to operate a regulated trading platform in the United States. The CFTC issued an Amended Order of Designation, enabling Polymarket to function as an intermediated exchange, fully compliant with the regulatory requirements for U.S. exchanges. This marks a significant step for Polymarket, paving the way for its return to the U.S. market under a fully regulated structure.
The approval allows Polymarket to directly onboard brokerages and customers, facilitating trading on U.S. venues. The platform can now introduce intermediated access, allowing users to trade through Futures Commission Merchants (FCMs) and leverage traditional market infrastructure, custody, and reporting channels. Shayne Coplan, Founder and CEO of Polymarket, expressed gratitude for the CFTC's constructive engagement and emphasized the company's commitment to transparency and regulatory compliance.
With the amended order, Polymarket has developed enhanced surveillance systems, market supervision policies, clearing procedures, and part-16 regulatory reporting capabilities. The platform will implement additional rules, policies, and processes applicable to intermediated trading before its official launch. Polymarket remains subject to all provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act and applicable CFTC regulations governing Designated Contract Markets, including self-regulatory obligations.
This regulatory approval marks a turning point for Polymarket, which had previously blocked U.S. users from its platform in 2022 while addressing regulatory compliance. This followed a cease-and-desist order and a $1.4 million civil penalty from the CFTC, which accused the company of operating an unregistered market for event-based binary options. The regulator determined that Polymarket was offering swaps without proper registration as a designated contract market or swap execution facility under the Commodity Exchange Act.
To ensure compliance with the amended order, Polymarket has been working to enhance its market surveillance tools, supervision policies, clearing procedures, and regulatory reporting systems. The company's acquisition of QCX LLC and QC Clearing earlier in 2025, firms already licensed to operate as a CFTC-regulated exchange and clearinghouse, provided the legal foundation for a compliant return to the U.S..
Polymarket's platform allows traders to predict the outcome of future events, with market prices reflecting the crowd's real-time expectations across various sectors, including politics, current events, pop culture, and more. Institutions, individuals, and the media rely on these forecasts to report the news and better understand the future. The platform has processed billions of dollars in predictions in 2025 alone.
The CFTC's approval of Polymarket signals a potential shift in how U.S. regulators view event-based trading. By granting Polymarket full compliance obligations under the Commodity Exchange Act, it suggests growing institutional interest in markets tied to political outcomes, global events, and macroeconomic indicators. Polymarket's re-entry into the U.S. market is expected to strengthen its position as a leading platform for reliable market predictions.
