TL;DR:
- CME Group plans to launch Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap futures on October 19, pending regulatory review, expanding its regulated single-asset crypto derivatives lineup.
- Standard and Micro contracts will cover 250 and 25 BCH, plus 10,000 and 1,000 UNI, giving traders different exposure sizes.
- CME’s crypto futures and options averaged 279,800 daily contracts in H1 2026, representing $8.3 billion in notional volume and $15.4 billion in open interest across its markets.
CME Group is expanding its crypto derivatives lineup with Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap futures scheduled to launch October 19, pending regulatory review. In its official announcement, the exchange said the new products respond to client demand for institutional-grade risk management across liquid altcoin markets. The addition of BCH and UNI pushes CME deeper into single-asset crypto derivatives while giving traders new regulated tools for exposure and hedging. The contracts will join an existing suite that already covers Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar, Avalanche and Sui.
CME Broadens Its Regulated Altcoin Futures Lineup
The new lineup will include both standard and Micro contracts, allowing participants to choose between position sizes. Bitcoin Cash futures will represent 250 BCH, while Micro Bitcoin Cash futures will cover 25 BCH. Uniswap futures will represent 10,000 UNI, with the Micro version covering 1,000 UNI. The two-tier contract structure gives institutional and smaller participants more flexibility when managing directional exposure or price risk. CME said the products are designed to operate within its regulated 24/7 marketplace, extending the continuous crypto futures framework already available across its digital-asset complex.
The expansion arrives as CME’s crypto derivatives business continues to scale. During the first half of 2026, crypto futures and options averaged 279,800 contracts in daily volume, equivalent to $8.3 billion in notional value, while average open interest reached 264,600 contracts worth $15.4 billion. Those figures show that CME is adding BCH and UNI to a sizable regulated derivatives market rather than testing demand from a small base. The exchange also said its 2026 additions of Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar, Avalanche and Sui futures have generated more than $1 billion in notional value year to date.
For Uniswap, the listing adds another regulated venue where traders can express views on UNI without using spot markets, while Bitcoin Cash gains a similar institutional futures route. The broader significance is CME’s continued expansion beyond Bitcoin and Ether toward a more diversified altcoin derivatives menu. That shift comes as UNI futures activity has become part of the token’s market structure and as professional investors seek more tools to manage crypto exposure. Pending regulatory review, October 19 will mark the next step in CME’s effort to further broaden regulated access to single-asset crypto futures.
