TL;DR
- Polymarket received CFTC authorization and can now operate as a regulated exchange in the United States under direct federal oversight.
- The license allows the platform to integrate into the traditional financial system, removing legal restrictions and opening the door to more users and capital.
- The new framework authorizes operations through FCMs and brokerages, creating a structure suitable for funds and corporations that require controls and traceability.
Polymarket obtained a decisive authorization to operate legally in the United States after the Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued an Amended Order of Designation that enables it to function as a regulated exchange.
The approval allows the platform to operate within the same framework that governs federally supervised financial markets, removing the legal limitations that for years restricted its business in the country.
A Determining Structural Change
The authorization directly changes the structure of Polymarket. From now on, the platform can operate through futures commission merchants and allows brokerages to onboard users within the traditional U.S. financial infrastructure.
This bridges the decentralized prediction model with the structure used by regulated derivatives and commodities markets, where every transaction goes through custody, formal audits, compliance controls, and continuous supervision. The framework is designed for the institutional market, where funds, corporations, and liquidity providers only participate when there are clear rules, defined responsibilities, and verifiable traceability in every transaction.
Shayne Coplan, CEO of Polymarket, said that the authorization enables operations with the level of maturity and transparency required by the U.S. regulatory framework. He also stated that users rely on the platform because it provides clarity where there is confusion and accountability where there are gray areas, and highlighted that the company maintained a constructive relationship with the CFTC throughout the process. Coplan aims to reinforce Polymarket’s position as a regulated exchange and demonstrate its leadership capacity in a rapidly expanding market segment.
A Year Ago, the FBI Raided the Home of Polymarket’s Founder
The approval comes almost one year after the FBI raided the founder’s home over alleged violations related to online betting, an event that triggered a public conflict between Polymarket and Kalshi, where the latter was accused of funding campaigns to discredit the project after the government intervention. With the new regulatory framework, the company aims to move past that stage and scale its business within the financial system recognized by federal regulators.
Prediction markets are posting record volumes thanks to the New York mayoral election and the surge in real-world event betting, including sports. The internal market measuring the probability of Polymarket launching its U.S. version in 2025 jumped from 65% to 88% after the approval before correcting to 74%.
As part of its new status, Polymarket implemented surveillance systems, supervision protocols, clearing procedures, and regulatory reporting tools similar to those required of Designated Contract Markets. Before the full U.S. relaunch, the company will need to adopt additional rules specific to intermediated trading to ensure full compliance and the integrity of every listed market. Institutional interest has already begun to materialize: Galaxy Digital is in talks to provide liquidity through market-making and actively participate in deepening market capacity.
Polymarket now positions itself at the core of the U.S. financial system, with a structure designed to scale volumes, attract institutional clients, and consolidate a real-time prediction model supported by capital and verifiable data.
