The world's largest Futures Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) announced today that it will launch a Bitcoin futures contract that will be settled via cash and based on its CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate that was launched last November.
Terry Duffy, CME Group chairman and CEO, said "Given increasing client interest in the evolving cryptocurrency markets, we have decided to introduce a bitcoin futures contract. As the world's largest regulated FX marketplace, CME Group is the natural home for this new vehicle that will provide investors with transparency, price discovery and risk transfer capabilities."
Cryptocurrency market capitalization has grown in recent years to $172 billion, with bitcoin representing more than 54 percent of that total, or $94 billion. The bitcoin spot market has also grown to trade roughly $1.5 billion in notional value each day.
For more information on this product, please visit cmegroup.com/bitcoinfutures.
