CME to Launch Cardano, Chainlink, and Stellar Futures, Expanding Institutional Crypto Offerings

The CME Group, operator of the world’s largest derivatives exchange, plans to further expand its crypto derivatives offering. Futures on Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK), and Stellar (XLM) are expected to be tradable from February 9ht, 2026 – subject to regulatory approval.

Standard and micro contracts planned

According to a statement from the CME, both standard and micro futures will be available for all three assets. The contract sizes are designed to appeal to a diverse range of market participants, from institutional investors to smaller professional traders.

Planned activities include:

Cardano: 100,000 ADA (Standard) and 10,000 ADA (Micro)

Chainlink: 5,000 LINK (Standard) and 250 LINK (Micro)

Stellar: 250,000 XLM (Standard) and 12,500 XLM (Micro)

In doing so, the CME is following a proven pattern that has already ensured higher market liquidity for Bitcoin and Ethereum futures.

Demand for regulated products is growing

According to CME representatives, the introduction reflects the increasing demand for regulated instruments to hedge price risks . Particularly after the strong growth of the crypto markets last year, professional market participants are increasingly seeking established trading platforms with clear legal frameworks.

Classification within the CME crypto ecosystem

The new futures complement an already broad range of offerings. CME was among the first traditional exchanges to introduce Bitcoin futures in 2017. Today, its crypto portfolio includes futures and options on Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP, among others.

In addition, CME operates its own crypto reference indices , which serve as price benchmarks for institutional products. Although more networks have recently been added to these indices, futures currently only exist for selected assets.

Importance for the market

The planned introduction of ADA, LINK, and XLM futures underscores the increasing institutionalization of the crypto market . At the same time, it remains to be seen how high the actual trading activity will be and whether other altcoins will follow. However, one thing is clear: derivatives exchanges like the CME are playing an increasingly central role in price discovery and risk management in the crypto sector.

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(Featured image by Michael Fortsch via Unsplash)

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