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Crypto's Massive Offshore Perpetual Futures Engine Is Coming to America — And CME Is Already Trying to Kill It

(68 days ago) · 1 source · Summarized by CryptoBipto — how we make this

Perpetual futures contracts, which dominate offshore crypto trading and account for roughly 90% of all crypto trading volume, are now being introduced in the United States. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), a traditional futures giant, is reportedly taking legal action to block or challenge these products as they threaten its existing crypto futures business.

WHY IT MATTERS

Think of perpetual futures like a bet on whether Bitcoin's price will go up or down — except unlike a normal bet with an end date, this one can run forever. They also let you use "leverage," meaning you can control a $1,000 position with just $100, which amplifies both gains and losses. These contracts are wildly popular globally and drive most of the world's crypto trading, but Americans haven't been allowed to use them because of strict regulations. Now they're coming to the U.S., and the biggest traditional futures exchange (CME, think of it as the old guard of Wall Street trading) is suing to stop them because it doesn't want the competition. This battle will determine what tools American crypto traders get access to and how much of the global crypto trading action happens on U.S. soil.

Perpetual futures — contracts that let traders bet on crypto prices with leverage and no expiration date — have been the backbone of offshore crypto exchanges like Binance, Bybit, and OKX for years.

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