CME to Offer 24/7 Crypto Futures Trading

CME Group says that its cryptocurrency futures and options will be available to trade 24 hours a day, seven days a week beginning in early 2026, pending regulatory review.

They will trade continuously on CME Globex with at least a two-hour weekly maintenance period over the weekend, the Merc says, adding all holiday or weekend trading from Friday evening through Sunday evening will have a trade date of the following business day. Clearing, settlement and regulatory reporting will also be processed the following business day.

“While not all markets lend themselves to operating 24/7, client demand for around-the-clock cryptocurrency trading has grown as market participants need to manage their risk every day of the week,” says Tim McCourt, global head of equities, FX and alternative products at CME Group. “Ensuring that our regulated cryptocurrency markets are always on will enable clients to trade with confidence at any time.”

The extension to trading hours comes as CME sees record volumes in it crypto futures and options, including record notional open interest of $39 billion on September 18; record August average daily open interest of 335,200 contracts, up 95% year on year and representing an average $31.6billion of notional; record August ADV of 411,000 contracts, up 230% year on year and representing $14.9 billion notional; and a record of more than 1,010 large open interest holders across cryptocurrency products the week of September 25.