CME Group to Launch Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap Futures on…

CME Group intends to list futures on Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap on October 19, subject to regulatory review, extending a regulated derivatives business that has been broadening beyond Bitcoin and Ether. The exchange will offer both standard and smaller Micro contracts for each asset.

Bitcoin Cash futures will represent 250 BCH per contract, with the Micro version sized at 25 BCH. Uniswap contracts will cover 10,000 UNI, while the Micro contract will represent 1,000 UNI. The two-tier structure is designed to give traders finer control over position sizes, allowing funds and market makers to hedge spot holdings, exchange-traded products and other derivatives with less notional exposure per trade.

A widening altcoin lineup

The additions bring BCH and UNI into a single-asset crypto suite that already includes Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar, Avalanche and Sui. CME has also moved beyond individual tokens with Nasdaq CME Crypto Index futures, which track a basket of major digital assets. The expansion reflects demand from firms that want regulated futures exposure rather than trading through offshore crypto venues.

CME said its cryptocurrency futures and options averaged 279,800 contracts in daily volume during the first half of 2026, equal to roughly $8.3 billion in notional value, while average open interest stood at 264,600 contracts, or about $15.4 billion. Newer altcoin contracts tied to Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar, Avalanche and Sui have generated more than $1 billion in total notional value during 2026. In late May, the company shifted its crypto futures and options to continuous trading, the first weekend of which produced more than 7,200 contracts and about $50 million in notional volume.

The expansion is unfolding alongside a separate dispute over perpetual futures, the structure that dominates crypto-native platforms. CME sued the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in June after the regulator permitted U.S. venues including Kalshi and Coinbase to offer perpetual contracts. CME argues that products without an expiration date fall outside the legal definition of conventional futures and has warned that highly leveraged perpetual trading could add risk for retail investors. The CFTC moved in September to dismiss the lawsuit, contending that CME had not established sufficient competitive injury.

Adding Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap gives CME two more instruments with which to test that strategy. If volumes develop beyond Bitcoin, Ether and the largest altcoins, U.S. regulated crypto derivatives could become less concentrated around a handful of tokens and more closely mirror the broader spot market they are meant to hedge.