US-based CME Group, the largest player in global derivative markets, has decided to make a significant expansion at a time when institutional interest in cryptocurrencies is deepening. The company is preparing to add futures contracts based on Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar, which are among the leading altcoin projects, to its product range. Following the completion of the regulatory approval process, contracts for altcoins are planned to be opened for trading on February 9. The development clearly reveals the orientation of both individual and institutional investors towards regulated risk management tools.
What Will CME’s New Altcoin-Based Futures Contracts Offer?
The new futures contracts announced by CME Group were designed in micro and standard sizes to appeal to different capital scales. Cardano-based futures contracts will have a size of 100,000 ADA in the standard contract and 10,000 ADA in the micro contract. On the Chainlink side, standard contracts will be traded for 5,000 LINK, and micro contracts will be traded for 250 LINK. In Stellar-based futures contracts, the standard contract size was determined as 250,000 XLM, and the micro contract size was determined as 12,500 XLM.
This structure provides flexibility to a wide range of participants, from professional portfolio managers to investors who want to take more limited positions. CME management points out that the demand for transparent and auditable products is rapidly increasing against the increasing price volatility in the cryptocurrency market. Giovanni Vicioso, the company’s global manager of cryptocurrency-based products, emphasized that investors not only want to manage price risk but also take positions in regulated markets.
Institutional Interest, Liquidity and ETF Prospects
CME’s opening of futures contracts for Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar is considered as an indicator of institutional confidence in the spot pricing reliability of these assets. In past examples, it has been seen that cryptocurrency-based derivative products listed within the CME have paved the way for US-based spot ETF applications over time. Therefore, the new contracts are not only a hedging tool, but also a step that strengthens the bridge between traditional finance and crypto markets.
Market sizes also support this interest. While Cardano’s ADA token ranks at the top with a market value of approximately $14.5 billion, Chainlink and Stellar are among the top 25 cryptocurrencies with a market value of around $10 billion. CME Group expanded its cryptocurrency move, which it started with Bitcoin futures contracts in 2017, with Ethereum, XRP and Solana-based futures contracts. The company broke a record in cryptocurrency-based derivatives in 2025 with an average daily contract volume of 278,300 and an open position size of $26.4 billion.
