CME Adds 3 Altcoin Futures: ADA, LINK, XLM Micro Contracts – Feb 2026

CME Group is expanding its regulated crypto derivatives suite with Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK), and Stellar (Lumens) futures, including standard and micro-sized contracts. CME says the new contracts will be available to trade starting February 9, pending regulatory review.

Want the market context behind moves like CME’s ADA/LINK/XLM futures – without the noise?
Subscribe to Web Snack – a daily crypto market brief with the key levels, flows, and headlines in one quick read.

Context – CME altcoin futures

CME already lists crypto futures and options tied to Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, and Solana, and it is now adding ADA, LINK, and Stellar (Lumens). CME positioned the move as a response to client demand for regulated tools to manage crypto price risk and access new exposures through futures.

CME has also been preparing to extend availability for its crypto futures and options beyond traditional market hours. In October 2025, CME said it planned around-the-clock trading for crypto futures and options, pending regulatory review.

Details

CME said ADA futures will be sized at 100,000 ADA per contract, with Micro ADA futures sized at 10,000 ADA. LINK futures will be sized at 5,000 LINK, with Micro LINK futures sized at 250 LINK.

For Stellar, CME said Lumens futures will be sized at 250,000 Lumens, with Micro Lumens futures sized at 12,500 Lumens. CME stated the Feb. 9 availability is subject to regulatory review.

“Given crypto’s record growth over the last year, clients are looking for trusted, regulated products to manage price risk as well as additional tools to gain exposure to this dynamic market,” said Giovanni Vicioso, Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products at CME Group. “With these new micro- and larger-size Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures contracts, market participants will now have greater choice with enhanced flexibility and more capital-efficiencies.”

Impact

CME paired the product rollout with updated activity figures for its crypto complex. The exchange reported average daily volume of 278,300 contracts across crypto futures and options in 2025, representing $12 billion in notional value.

CME also reported average open interest of 313,900 contracts, representing $26.4 billion in notional value. Separately, CME said record notional open interest reached $39 billion on Sept. 18, 2025.

For market participants, exchange-listed futures can provide a standardized way to hedge spot exposure, express directional views with defined contract terms, and structure relative-value positions between spot and futures. Micro contracts are designed to make sizing more granular, which can matter for risk limits, hedging precision, and margin planning.

Next Steps

CME’s next near-term step is making the ADA, LINK, and Stellar (Lumens) futures available starting Feb. 9, subject to regulatory review. CME has not stated in its official releases that the Feb. 9 listings coincide with a switch to 24/7 trading.

On continuous trading, CME previously said it expected to launch “24/7” crypto futures and options trading in early 2026 on CME Globex, with at least a two-hour weekly maintenance period over the weekend. More recently, an earnings-call transcript reported CEO Terry Duffy saying CME would begin offering 24/7 trading for its entire crypto suite “next quarter,” while noting the ADA, LINK, and Stellar futures were set to launch on February 9.

“While not all markets lend themselves to operating 24/7, client demand for around-the-clock cryptocurrency trading has grown as market participants need to manage their risk every day of the week,” said Tim McCourt, Global Head of Equities, FX and Alternative Products at CME Group. “Ensuring that our regulated cryptocurrency markets are always on will enable clients to trade with confidence at any time.”

Track what happens next – volumes, open interest, and whether these contracts actually become institutional benchmarks.
Get the daily market recap in Web Snack (fast, factual, and actionable).

P.S. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Always conduct your own research and make independent decisions.