CME to Launch 24/7 Cryptocurrency Trading

CME to offer 24/7 crypto trading from 2026.

In early 2026, the CME will introduce round-the-clock trading for options and futures based on cryptocurrency instruments.  

Starting early 2026, trade crypto on your schedule. 🚀

➡️ https://t.co/x1FLEwVAnl pic.twitter.com/RmCGMLWh4h

— CME Group (@CMEGroup) October 2, 2025

“While not all markets are suited for 24/7 operations, client demand for continuous cryptocurrency trading has increased, as market participants need to manage their risks every day of the week,” stated Tim McCourt, head of CME Group. 

He believes that ensuring continuous operation of digital asset markets will allow clients to “trade confidently at any time.”

The CME Globex platform will facilitate 24/7 trading, with a technical break of no more than two hours over the weekend.

According to a press release, interest in crypto products on the exchange has grown significantly over the past year. 

• Record nominal open interest — $39 billion;
• Average daily open interest in August was $31.6 billion (335,200 contracts), up 95% year-on-year;
• Record number of open contracts in August reached 411,000.

Trading Day and Night

The announcement of “uninterrupted” operations followed comments by CME Chairman and CEO Terry Duffy at a joint roundtable with the CFTC and SEC on October 1, where he stated that the financial sector is entering a “24/7 era.”

“I believe this is the world we will live in, and the market will demand it,” Duffy said in discussions with regulators.

He added that cryptocurrency is “the best way to achieve this.”

Other exchange executives at the roundtable shared similar views. Jeff Sprecher, CEO of Intercontinental Exchange, stated that markets must decide which products make sense for continuous trading.

Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman added that the company is preparing for 24/7 service but acknowledged operational challenges.

Back in September, the SEC simplified the listing procedure for crypto-ETFs. Analysts predicted the launch of new investment products in the U.S. “in the coming weeks and months.”