CME Group, the world's largest derivatives exchange, has announced plans to list standard and micro futures contracts for Cardano, Chainlink, and Stellar. These new contracts are scheduled to begin trading on February 9, pending regulatory approval, significantly expanding CME's cryptocurrency derivatives offerings beyond Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH).
New Futures Contracts and Contract Specifications
The introduction of these futures contracts aims to provide regulated exposure and hedging tools for institutions and traders interested in these prominent altcoins. The contracts will be available in both standard and micro sizes to cater to a wider range of market participants and capital requirements.
Standard Cardano futures will be sized at 100,000 Cardano per contract, while micro futures will represent 10,000 Cardano. Chainlink contracts will contain 5,000 Chainlink in the standard version and 250 Chainlink in the micro format. Stellar futures will carry 250,000 Stellar in standard contracts and 12,500 Stellar in their micro counterparts.
Rationale Behind the Expansion
"Given crypto’s record growth over the last year, clients are looking for trusted, regulated products to manage price risk as well as additional tools to gain exposure to this dynamic market," stated Giovanni Vicioso, CME Group’s Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products. He further emphasized that offering both micro and standard sizes will provide market participants with "greater choice with enhanced flexibility and more capital-efficiencies."
Cardano, Chainlink, and Stellar are recognized for their significant contributions to the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Cardano is a programmable blockchain known for its focus on security and sustainability, consistently ranking among the top cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Chainlink serves as a decentralized oracle network, crucial for providing real-world data to smart contracts. Stellar is a platform designed for facilitating global payment infrastructure and supporting smart contracts.
CME Group's Growing Crypto Derivatives Market
CME Group has been steadily expanding its cryptocurrency derivatives portfolio since launching Bitcoin futures in 2017. The exchange has since added futures and options contracts for Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, and Solana. In 2025, CME Group reported an average daily volume of 278,300 contracts in crypto derivatives, with an average open interest of 313,900 contracts, highlighting the growing institutional interest and activity in the crypto derivatives market.
The timing of these new listings is significant, as institutional demand for cryptocurrency risk-management tools continues to increase. Historically, CME futures listings have often preceded U.S. spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) approvals for digital assets. This pattern has been observed with Bitcoin and Ether, where the establishment of regulated market infrastructure and price discovery mechanisms through futures trading paved the way for subsequent ETF approvals.
The new futures contracts are expected to appeal to both institutional investors and retail traders who are looking to gain exposure to altcoin price movements or hedge their existing positions. Market observers note that micro contracts, which require lower capital commitments compared to standard futures, have become increasingly popular among smaller traders and institutions that are exploring market exposure with reduced capital risk.
This expansion by CME Group underscores the ongoing development of financial infrastructure for digital assets and the increasing integration of cryptocurrencies into traditional financial markets. CME Group operates regulated markets across a diverse range of asset classes, including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, and agricultural products.