News linked to both this project and an event.
Odaily News: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has frozen the approval of Nasdaq's QBTC bitcoin options in order to re-examine the decision after a legal challenge from CME Group. CME Group argues that, since bitcoin is a commodity, options linked to its value should fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), not the SEC. The approval remains suspended while the SEC reviews the dispute, with interested parties able to submit comments until August 24.
: CME Group Chairman and CEO Terry Duffy stated that the approval of perpetual futures contracts in the United States could expose traders to tax and regulatory uncertainties, as the products may ultimately be classified as swaps rather than futures. Duffy explained that buyers and sellers in perpetual contracts periodically exchange funding rates, a mechanism that aligns with the legal definition of a swap under U.S. law. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) currently categorizes them as futures, and CME is challenging this classification in court. Duffy noted that if perpetual contracts are treated as futures, some institutional traders may qualify for the mixed tax treatment under Section 1256 of the U.S. tax code. If classified as swaps, they may be taxed under ordinary tax rules. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has not yet issued specific guidance on the tax treatment of perpetual futures. Legal experts said that perpetual futures are structurally similar to swaps but serve an economic function akin to futures, making the court’s interpretation of the relevant definitions crucial. Even if the litigation clarifies product classification, the IRS may still need to issue separate tax treatment guidance.
CME Group, the operator of the largest U.S. derivatives exchange, sued the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and its Chairman Mike Selig last month, opposing the regulator's approval for prediction market platform Kalshi and cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase to launch crypto perpetual contracts. Non-US perpetual contracts achieved a trading volume of $60 trillion last year. CME argues that the CFTC misclassified the relevant products and improperly applied the law, claiming that futures should have an expiration date, whereas perpetual contracts allow traders to establish leveraged positions on the future price of an asset without an expiration limit. CME also contends that the products harm its longer-dated futures business and that the CFTC failed to adequately consider the impact. The dispute between the parties intensified during the early stages of the Iran conflict, when demand rose for 24-hour crude oil perpetual contracts on offshore DeFi exchanges like Hyperliquid, as well as for on-chain prediction market trading related to the crude oil market. CME subsequently applied to accelerate the launch of 24-hour West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures trading but was blocked by the CFTC. Kalshi, after launching its first related product last month, stated that its trading volume exceeded $1 billion in less than a week. The CFTC is currently advancing the U.S. perpetual contracts market through policy statements and case-by-case reviews, rather than through new rulemaking procedures.
According to The Block, Bernstein stated that before the compliant computing power futures planned by CME Group and Intercontinental Exchange are approved, AI computing power derivatives adopting crypto market mechanisms have already launched. Currently, Architect's offshore trading platform AX has launched GPU perpetual futures, while Kalshi has listed GPU rental price event contracts regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Analysis shows that Hyperliquid achieves extremely high efficiency under the “protocol-level infrastructure” model: revenue is nearly equivalent to net profit, and operating costs are close to minimal, reflecting a structural characteristic where “revenue does not scale linearly with headcount.” However, this current advantage exists at a stage where regulatory and compliance costs have not yet been fully realized; should compliance pressures increase in the future, profitability may contract.
Odaily Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and its Chairman Michael Selig in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, concerning the agency's routine approval of cryptocurrency perpetual futures. The lawsuit stems from the CFTC’s May 29 approval of a perpetual futures contract linked to the spot price of Bitcoin by prediction market platform Kalshi, and the issuance of a no-action position for a similar product on the Coinbase exchange. In the filing, CME argues that the CFTC's treatment of "futures" with expiration dates as "swaps" violates directives from the U.S. Congress and the Commodity Exchange Act, and requests the court to invalidate the relevant perpetual futures actions. CME also claims that Selig acted unilaterally without a full panel of five commissioners. A CFTC spokesperson stated that CME is waging a "legal battle" against the agency and the government’s crypto policy, calling the lawsuit "frivolous." Kraken has also announced the launch of perpetual futures trading for U.S. users via the CFTC-regulated platform Bitnomial.
the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group (CME Group) announced plans to launch gold and WTI crude oil futures products available for trading 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to meet global investors' demand for around-the-clock markets. It is reported that CME Group will launch the Micro WTI Crude Oil Futures contract on August 30, which will be one-tenth the size of the standard WTI crude oil futures contract. Meanwhile, the 1-ounce gold futures contract is planned to support 24/7 trading starting July 26. However, these products are still subject to regulatory approval. They will be listed for trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and the New York Mercantile Exchange's precious metals market (COMEX), respectively, and will be cash-settled. (Bloomberg)
According to Bloomberg, Terry Duffy, CEO of CME Group, expressed being “very concerned” about the recently approved perpetual futures contracts (“Perps”) by U.S. regulators. Duffy noted that perpetual futures have limited practical utility for institutional investors and may expose retail traders to excessive risk.
digital asset management firm Grayscale stated in its latest report that the decentralized trading platform Hyperliquid is rapidly evolving from a crypto perpetual contract exchange into a blockchain-based financial infrastructure platform. In the future, it may even challenge the traditional derivatives trading and exchange systems, growing into a "financial services giant."The report shows that Hyperliquid generated approximately $800 million in revenue in 2025, with a full-year perpetual contract trading volume of about $2.9 trillion and open interest of roughly $7 billion, capturing a significant share of the crypto derivatives market. Grayscale believes the platform is no longer limited to crypto trading. Through the HIP-3 and HIP-4 systems, it is expanding into tokenized stocks, commodities, and prediction markets, gradually building a 24/7 on-chain trading infrastructure.In another report, FalconX also pointed out that Hyperliquid is competing with traditional derivatives exchanges like the CME Group, as well as prediction market platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket, and is making progress in new markets like Pre-IPO.The report also emphasized that regulation remains a key variable. Although Hyperliquid currently restricts access for US users, as the regulatory framework gradually clarifies and institutions like Coinbase, Robinhood, and Kraken explore perpetual contract products, this sector may see broader growth potential in the future. (CoinDesk)
CME Group and Intercontinental Exchange, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, are reportedly pushing U.S. regulators to intensify oversight of the decentralized derivatives platform Hyperliquid, citing concerns over potential market manipulation and possible sanctions evasion.It is understood that the two major traditional financial market infrastructure providers are worried that on-chain perpetual contract platforms like Hyperliquid, operating without a unified regulatory framework, could impact the existing derivatives market structure and pose cross-border compliance challenges. Currently, relevant discussions are still in their early stages, but they have sparked further attention on whether on-chain derivatives should be incorporated into the traditional regulatory system.
CME Group announced plans to launch Nasdaq CME Crypto Index futures on June 8, 2026, subject to regulatory review. This will be its first market-cap-weighted futures contract, offered in both micro and standard sizes, and cash-settled. Final settlement will be based on the Nasdaq CME Crypto Settlement Price Index, which measures the performance of the largest and most actively traded cryptocurrencies by market capitalization—currently including BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, ADA, LINK, and XLM.
CME Group announced plans to launch Nasdaq CME Cryptocurrency Index Futures on June 8, pending regulatory review. The Nasdaq CME Cryptocurrency Index Futures will be the company’s first market-capitalization-weighted futures contract and will be available in both micro and standard contract sizes. These contracts will provide market participants with a capital-efficient way to gain exposure to the top-ranked cryptocurrencies by market capitalization through a single financially settled futures contract. At expiration, the Nasdaq CME Cryptocurrency Index Futures will settle against the Nasdaq CME Cryptocurrency Settlement Price Index, which measures the performance of the most actively traded and liquid cryptocurrencies. As of May 14, the index includes Bitcoin, Ethereum, SOL, XRP, ADA, LINK, and Lumens (XLM).
: CME Group has announced the launch of cash-settled Bitcoin Volatility Futures, scheduled to go live on June 1st (pending regulatory approval).Based on the 30-day Implied Volatility Index (BVX), this product allows traders to trade or hedge Bitcoin volatility without speculating on the direction of price movements.The new contract is expected to carry the ticker symbol BVI, with a contract multiplier of $500 x the index value, aiming to provide the market with a more refined risk management tool.