CME Group, the world’s largest derivatives exchange, said Thursday that crypto options and futures contracts will begin trading 24 hours a day, seven days a week on May 29, pending regulatory approval.
“CME Group Cryptocurrency futures and options will trade continuously on CME Globex with at least a two-hour weekly maintenance period over the weekend,” according to the parent of The Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s announcement.
All trading activity on market holidays and weekends will be cleared, settled and posted the following business day, with regulatory reporting also filed on the following day, CME Group said.
The exchange’s average daily volume for crypto futures and options in 2026 is up 46% year on year, according to CME.
The announcement follows a joint statement in September from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) concerning the potential shift to 24/7 capital markets in the United States.
Related: CME CEO Duffy says exchange is exploring issuing its own token
US regulators explore always-on markets, while exchanges expand hours
“Certain markets, including foreign exchange, gold, and crypto assets, already trade continuously. Further expanding trading hours could better align US markets with the evolving reality of a global, always-on economy,” the regulators’ statement said.
In March 2025, Nasdaq, a technology-focused stock exchange, announced it would expand its trading hours to offer 24-hour markets, five days a week.
The exchange expects to roll out the expanded trading hours in the second half of 2026, according to an announcement from Nasdaq president Tal Cohen.
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) said last month that it is developing a platform for trading tokenized stock and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
NYSE’s upcoming platform will feature 24/7 trading hours and will be able to interface with blockchain-based systems, including support for multichain settlement and custody, according to NYSE’s announcement.
The launch of the platform is part of a broader digital strategy and will be a testing ground for potentially integrating tokenized collateral on the NYSE, according to the company.
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