CME Group launches Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap futures on 19 October

CME Group, the world’s largest derivatives market, announces that it will launch futures for Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap on 19 October. This is subject to approval by the regulator. With this expansion, CME is responding to growing demand from institutional parties for risk management instruments for altcoin markets with high trading volume.

In brief:

• CME Group will launch futures for Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Uniswap (UNI) on 19 October, both with standard and micro contracts.
• The expansion follows strong institutional demand for crypto derivatives.
• In the first half of 2026, the average daily volume of CME’s crypto futures and options was already 279,800 contracts, representing around $8.3 billion in value.

Standard and micro contracts for both coins

Traders will soon be able to choose from two contract sizes. For Bitcoin Cash, these are contracts of 250 BCH and 25 BCH. For Uniswap, they are contracts of 10,000 UNI and 1,000 UNI. These smaller micro contracts make the market more accessible to parties that do not want to trade the full contract size.

CME states that the expansion is a response to customer demand for professional risk management instruments in liquid altcoin markets. Bitcoin ETFs also previously attracted nearly a billion dollars in a single day, showing how large institutional interest in crypto has now become.

CME further expands crypto offering

CME already offers futures for a range of major cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Solana, Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar, Avalanche and SUI. Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap are now being added to that list.

The figures show that demand for crypto derivatives at CME has grown considerably. In the first half of 2026, the average daily trading volume of crypto futures and options was 279,800 contracts, equivalent to an average daily value of around $8.3 billion. Bitcoin is currently trading around $86.000, while the broader market also remains in motion.

The launch on 19 October will only go ahead if the regulator gives the green light. CME has not yet released any further details about this.