Kraken plans to launch CFTC-regulated Bitcoin perpetual futures in the US through Bitnomial within 30 days.
Bitcoin News
Kraken said on May 30 it expects to launch Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)-regulated perpetual futures contracts for Bitcoin (BTC) in the United States within 30 days. The announcement came hours after the CFTC approved the instruments for domestic trading. Kraken said the contracts would be listed on Bitnomial Exchange, a CFTC-regulated venue owned by Kraken's parent company, Payward.
Payward announced on April 17 that it was acquiring Bitnomial for up to $550 million. The stated aim was to give Kraken Pro customers access to Bitnomial's perpetual futures product once regulatory conditions permitted.
Filing Gap Raises Questions
Kraken's May 30 statement said a filing had been submitted, but no specific BTC perpetual contract filing appeared in Bitnomial's recent CFTC submissions as of May 31. The company said the announcement "sets in motion plans to bring that activity onshore through a CFTC-regulated venue." Requests for clarification sent to two Kraken executives and Bitnomial's chief regulatory officer had not received a response by the time of publication.
KalshiEX was the first firm to receive specific CFTC approval to trade a BTC perpetual futures contract on May 30. KalshiEX had originally requested confidential treatment of its application before the approval was granted.
Coinbase also moved on the same day. Coinbase Financial Markets announced it would give US institutional clients access to global crypto options and perpetual futures through Deribit, which Coinbase acquired in August 2025. Deribit is the largest crypto options exchange by open interest.
CFTC Chair Sets the Regulatory Stakes
CFTC Chair Michael Selig addressed the significance of the approvals directly on May 30. "In my view, the question was never whether crypto asset perpetual contracts would exist. Instead, the question was whether they would exist under American oversight, American standards and American rule of law," he said.
The SEC and CFTC had flagged this shift in September 2025. The two agencies issued a joint statement acknowledging that perpetual futures had been largely confined to offshore markets due to regulatory and jurisdictional constraints. They said at the time they would explore ways to bring those products under domestic oversight.
CFTC staff also issued guidance on May 30 covering 24/7 trading, clearing, and settlement. The guidance noted that crypto asset derivatives may be particularly well suited to round-the-clock market structures.
This article contains links to third-party websites or other content for information purposes only (“Third-Party Sites”). The Third-Party Sites are not under the control of CoinMarketCap, and CoinMarketCap is not responsible for the content of any Third-Party Site, including without limitation any link contained in a Third-Party Site, or any changes or updates to a Third-Party Site. CoinMarketCap is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by CoinMarketCap of the site or any association with its operators. This article is intended to be used and must be used for informational purposes only. It is important to do your own research and analysis before making any material decisions related to any of the products or services described. This article is not intended as, and shall not be construed as, financial advice. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s [company’s] own and do not necessarily reflect those of CoinMarketCap.
