CME bets on altcoins as Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures go live Feb. 9

CME will list Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures on Feb. 9, adding micro and standard contracts as institutions seek regulated altcoin exposure and hedging tools.

Summary

• CME plans Feb. 9 launch of standard and micro futures on Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar, pending regulatory approval, expanding beyond BTC, ETH, XRP and Solana.​
• Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar give traders programmable DeFi, oracle and payments exposure, while micro contracts lower capital barriers for smaller participants.​
• CME says crypto derivatives averaged 278,300 contracts in 2025, with 313,900 open interest, as futures listings often precede U.S. spot ETF approvals for new assets.​
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CME Group, the world’s largest derivatives exchange, announced plans to launch futures contracts tied to Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar, expanding its cryptocurrency offerings beyond Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH).

The contracts, available in both standard and micro sizes, are scheduled to begin trading on Feb. 9, pending regulatory approval, according to a company statement.

CME Group adds Cardano, Stellar and Chainlink futures

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.

“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,” said Giovanni Vicioso, CME Group‘s Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products, in a statement. Vicioso added that offering both micro and standard sizes will give market participants “greater choice with enhanced flexibility and more capital-efficiencies.”

The three digital assets represent established projects in the cryptocurrency sector. Cardano, a programmable blockchain, currently ranks among the top cryptocurrencies globally by market capitalization. Chainlink operates as an oracle network providing real-world data feeds for smart contracts. Stellar supports smart contracts and global payment infrastructure.

CME launched bitcoin futures in 2017 and has since expanded its cryptocurrency derivatives offerings to include futures and options tied to bitcoin, ether, XRP and solana. In 2025, the exchange recorded average daily volume of 278,300 contracts in crypto derivatives, with average open interest reaching 313,900 contracts, according to company data.

The listings come as institutional demand for cryptocurrency risk-management tools continues to expand. Historically, CME futures listings have preceded U.S. spot exchange-traded fund approvals for digital assets by establishing regulated market infrastructure and price discovery mechanisms. Bitcoin and ether both followed this path before receiving spot ETF approval from U.S. regulators.

The new futures contracts are designed to serve both institutional and retail traders seeking exposure to altcoin price movements or hedging existing positions. Micro contracts, which require lower capital commitments than standard futures, have gained popularity among smaller traders and institutions testing market exposure, according to market observers.

The expansion reflects broader institutional adoption of cryptocurrency derivatives as financial infrastructure for digital assets continues to develop. CME Group operates regulated markets across multiple asset classes including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, and agricultural products.