CME Group's crypto derivatives trading volume surges by 139%, hitting a record $1.2 trillion in 2025

not_your_keys · 2026-01-06T01:40:57+00:00

CME Group reports that cryptocurrency derivatives trading volume will surge by 139% in 2025, reaching $1.2 trillion, with an average daily trading volume of 278,000 contracts, primarily driven by Ethereum and Bitcoin micro futures. This growth reflects institutional investors' shift towards regulated trading instruments, marking the market's move towards professionalism and compliance.

not_your_keys

2026-01-06 01:40:57

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Source: Yellow Original Title: CME Group’s Crypto Trading Volume Surges 139% to Record $12 Billion in 2025

Original Link: CME Group reports a record-breaking trading volume in cryptocurrency derivatives in 2025, with daily average trading volume soaring 139% to 278,000 contracts, with a notional value of approximately $12 billion.

The derivatives trading market disclosed on Monday that cryptocurrency products were among the fastest-growing sectors last year.

This growth reflects institutional adoption of regulated cryptocurrency trading tools through traditional financial infrastructure.

What happened

CME Group’s cryptocurrency division set multiple records throughout 2025.

Ethereum (ETH) micro futures led the growth, with a daily average of 144,000 contracts.

Bitcoin (BTC) micro futures reached 75,000 contracts, while Ethereum standard futures hit 19,000 contracts.

The fourth quarter performed even stronger, with quarterly daily average trading volume reaching a record 379,000 contracts, with a notional value of $13.3 billion.

December alone recorded 339,000 contracts, marking the best monthly closing performance.

This momentum emerged as CME surpassed a leading exchange in Bitcoin futures open interest in 2025, indicating a structural shift toward regulated platforms.

The total trading volume of all CME cryptocurrency products approached $86 trillion annually.

Why this matters

The record-breaking volume indicates capital migration from unregulated offshore exchanges to compliant derivatives markets.

Traditional financial institutions are increasingly utilizing CME’s regulated infrastructure for hedging, arbitrage, and digital asset portfolio exposure.

The 139% growth rate far exceeds the overall 6% increase in CME’s average daily trading volume across all asset classes.

Small-scale (micro) contracts constitute a significant portion of this growth, enabling retail and institutional traders to access crypto derivatives with less capital.

This shift reflects the evolution of cryptocurrency from retail speculative trading to institutional-level risk management, with regulated derivatives becoming a key infrastructure for professional market participants.

ETH-0,95%

BTC-0,71%

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MentalWealthHarvester

· 01-08 22:08

Damn 139%? CME is really starting to get serious --- Traditional finance entering the market is indeed different; the data speaks for itself --- 1.2 trillion... this is truly institutional-level gameplay --- Wait, 278,000 contracts per day on average? Feels like retail investors are getting fewer and fewer chances --- Both CME and derivatives—this wave is definitely the beginning of institutionalized harvesting --- Reliable exchange data often indicates that big funds are quietly positioning themselves. Wake up, everyone --- A 139% increase is indeed impressive, but the question is, who is actually making money? --- Last year's fastest-growing sector is a bit exaggerated, but the growth rate is indeed outrageous

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TopBuyerBottomSeller

· 01-08 13:11

139% surge? This is the real institutional entry, the door of traditional finance has been fully opened. --- CME's data is incredible this time, with an average daily trading volume of $12 billion... Some sectors of our A-shares market are about to cry when they see this. --- Wait, are these figures from last year? Then this year must be even crazier. --- The trading volume of derivatives is so high, it really shows that it's not retail investors playing anymore; big funds have entered. --- Why do I feel this rally is just the beginning? Don't rush to sell. --- With so many institutions trading on CME, will the spot market still fall? Just thinking about it, it seems unlikely. --- Traditional finance is integrating with crypto, and some people still say Web3 has no future.

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TokenVelocity

· 01-07 00:13

A 139% increase, CME is directly bringing in institutional investors --- Wait, is this number real? Feels a bit exaggerated --- Traditional finance entering the market is different; our track is finally getting attention --- $12 trillion? Is the crypto world really about to turn upside down? --- Institutions are buying, what am I hesitating for... --- With this growth rate, it feels like a bubble is coming. What do you guys think? --- CME leading the charge, other trading platforms must be getting anxious haha --- A 139% rise is easy, but falling even faster, brother --- Finally, it's not just retail hype; it feels like real money is entering the market --- Does this data include those short orders? Just asking to see the true trading volume of derivatives

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CryptoMabuS

· 01-06 02:29

Excellent, that's it

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gas_fee_trauma

· 01-06 02:08

Oh my god, 139%? That number is a bit scary, CME is really starting to pay attention to the crypto space. --- Traditional finance is finally coming to take our market share, it feels a bit complicated... --- $12 billion in nominal value, how many people are going all-in on this? --- It's already 2025 and people are still talking about being regulated. Don't get too happy just yet, everyone. --- What does the surge in derivatives trading indicate? Mainly that institutions are here to harvest the retail investors. --- Is this growth sustainable? Or is it just another bubble? --- Thinking back to when CME futures launched, the scale is really different now.

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ser_ngmi

· 01-06 02:08

Oh no, why is CME's increase so crazy? Is it real or just hype again? --- 139% growth... sounds great but it feels like institutions are just using new tricks to cut into retail investors --- Damn, traditional finance has finally entered the scene. How are we retail investors supposed to survive? --- Average daily 278k contracts? This data needs to be verified; it might just be marketing numbers again --- It's only been a little over half a year since 2025, and CME is already like this. Will it explode by the end of the year? --- Once traditional finance gets involved, everything changes completely. It will never feel the same as in the early days --- $12 trillion sounds intimidating, but how much actually flows to retail investors? --- So is this a bull market signal or the institutions' last frenzy before topping out? --- CME's popularity = market enthusiasm rising, but it also means risks are piling up --- 139% growth is indeed impressive, but don't be blinded by the numbers; focus on quality, not just quantity

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TokenAlchemist

· 01-06 02:05

ngl the 139% spike is mostly institutional FOMO filling inefficiency vectors... traditional finance finally figured out what we've been extracting from for years. 278k daily contracts hitting $120B nominal—that's just the surface liquidity, real alpha is in the MEV gaps they're still sleeping on, tbh.

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rug_connoisseur

· 01-06 02:03

Wow, this surge is crazy. Traditional finance has fully embraced crypto. It's doubling directly, is CME just harvesting retail investors? $12 billion in daily trading volume? Should I learn some derivatives trading... This data is too exaggerated. It feels like institutions have already quietly completed their布局.

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ApeShotFirst

· 01-06 01:57

Wow, 139%? CME is really getting excited. Traditional finance is finally smelling the scent of profit.

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LiquidityWitch

· 01-06 01:56

Whoa 139%? CME is about to take off, traditional finance is finally waking up --- $12 billion daily? Is anyone still saying crypto is a bubble? Haha --- These numbers are really hard to believe, institutions are rushing in at a crazy pace --- No wonder the crypto world has been so active recently, it turns out CME is stirring things up --- 278,000 contracts, that many in just one day? My goodness, this growth rate is unbelievable --- Regulated crypto derivatives are booming, indicating that big institutions truly believe in it --- One of the fastest-growing sectors last year? What about now, will it continue into 2025? --- I’ve looked at the 139% figure three times, are you sure there’s no water in it? --- Traditional financial infrastructure entering the space, this is the real sign of a bull market --- Contract trading volume is skyrocketing, it feels like a major event is just around the corner

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