The CME Group will launch futures contracts for Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK) and Stellar (XLM) on February, subject to regulatory approval. The move aims to give institutions and retail traders regulated vehicles to manage price exposure as demand for altcoin derivatives grows.
CME will list both standard and micro-sized futures for each asset to broaden participation and reduce capital barriers. The micro contracts are intended to allow finer position sizing and more efficient hedging for smaller traders and complex institutional strategies.
CME is expanding beyond Bitcoin and Ether after recent additions such as XRP and Solana, reflecting growing institutional appetite for regulated crypto instruments. The exchange framed the decision as a response to “crypto’s record growth” and client demand for trusted products to manage price risk, according to Giovanni Vicioso, Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products at CME Group.
Bob Fitzsimmons, Executive Vice President at Wedbush Securities Inc., said the additions signal “the continued maturing of regulated crypto futures contract listings.”
CME’s own 2025 metrics provide the backdrop: the exchange reported an average daily volume across crypto futures and options of 278,300 contracts, equivalent to a notional value of about $12 billion. Futures comprised roughly 272,200 contracts daily ($11.7 billion notional), while options averaged 4,100 contracts ($231 million notional). Average open interest rose to a record 313,900 contracts, valued at $26.4 billion.
A measure that makes CME Group stand out
Justin Young, CEO and co-founder of Volatility Shares, highlighted the practical benefit: “As one of the world’s largest traders of crypto futures, Volatility Shares is excited to see more regulated financial products available for trading and risk management.”
For users and market structure, the new listings should increase liquidity and create standardized hedging tools for ADA, LINK and XLM. Micro contracts could lower friction for active retail traders while enabling institutions to scale exposures more precisely. At the same time, increased exchange-traded supply may affect derivatives spreads and basis behaviour for each underlying token.
Investors are now turning their attention to February 9, 2026, when the contracts are scheduled to begin trading, pending regulatory sign-off; that date will function as an immediate test of demand beyond the largest crypto assets.
