CME Group is widening its crypto playbook: the world’s largest derivatives exchange said it will begin trading futures on Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK) and Stellar (XLM) on Feb. 9, pending regulatory approval. The move adds regulated altcoin exposure and hedging tools for institutional and retail traders beyond the exchange’s existing Bitcoin and Ether offerings. The new contracts will be available in both standard and micro sizes to suit different capital levels. Contract specifications announced by CME: - Cardano (ADA): standard = 100,000 ADA; micro = 10,000 ADA - Chainlink (LINK): standard = 5,000 LINK; micro = 250 LINK - Stellar (XLM): standard = 250,000 XLM; micro = 12,500 XLM “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’s Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products. He noted that offering both micro and standard sizes should provide “greater choice with enhanced flexibility and more capital-efficiencies.” Why these tokens? Each represents an established protocol with distinct use cases: Cardano is a programmable blockchain and a top market-cap cryptocurrency; Chainlink supplies real-world data to smart contracts as an oracle network; and Stellar focuses on payments and smart-contract support for cross-border transfers. CME’s listings are aimed at traders who want to hedge altcoin exposure or gain regulated market access without directly holding the tokens. CME has steadily expanded its crypto derivatives suite since launching Bitcoin futures in 2017. The exchange now lists futures and options across multiple digital assets, including bitcoin, ether, XRP and solana. In 2025, CME reported an average daily crypto-derivatives volume of 278,300 contracts and average open interest of 313,900 contracts. Historically, CME futures openings have helped create regulated market infrastructure and price discovery that preceded U.S. spot ETF approvals for bitcoin and ether. The addition of ADA, LINK and XLM futures underscores growing institutional demand for risk-management tools and reflects the ongoing maturation of crypto financial infrastructure. CME also operates regulated markets across traditional asset classes—rates, equity indexes, FX, energy and agriculture—bolstering its position as a venue for professional-market participants. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

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