CME Group Expands Crypto Derivatives to Include Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar

CME Group announced on January 14 that it will expand its portfolio of regulated crypto derivatives. Starting February 9, futures on the cryptocurrencies Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK) and Stellar (XLM) are scheduled to become tradable, subject to regulatory approval ^[1].

The offering includes both standard and micro contracts: Cardano futures will be structured with 100,000 ADA and 10,000 ADA respectively, Chainlink contracts with 5,000 LINK and 250 LINK. The Stellar futures represent 250,000 Lumens, with the micro variant covering 12,500 Lumens ^[1].

Giovanni Vicioso, Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products at CME Group, pointed to increased demand for regulated instruments to manage price risk in the digital asset space. The new products are intended to provide market participants with greater flexibility and higher capital efficiency ^[1].

Industry representatives such as Wedbush Securities and NinjaTrader welcomed the expansion as another step toward the maturation of the regulated crypto market. CME Group already offers futures and options on Bitcoin, Ether, XRP and Solana ^[1].

The announcement had no positive short-term effect on the price development of the three cryptocurrencies – all three coins recorded price losses in the 24 hours following the announcement ^[1].