CME Group Moves to 24/7 Trading for Digital Asset Derivatives

CME Group has announced plans to expand trading hours for its cryptocurrency futures and options to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, pending regulatory review. The move represents a significant shift in market structure for the worlds leading derivatives marketplace, aiming to align regulated futures products closer to the continuous nature of the underlying spot markets.

Targeting Weekend Gap Risk

The exchange is set to launch the continuous trading schedule on Friday, May 29, at 4:00 p.m. CT. Under the new framework, products will trade on CME Globex with a mandated maintenance window of at least two hours during the weekend.

Functionally, this adjustment is expected to mitigate “gap risk”—the price disparity that often occurs between the Friday close and Sunday open—providing institutions with greater flexibility to hedge exposure outside of standard banking hours. Trades executed over the weekend will be processed for clearing and settlement on the following business day.

Institutional Demand Surges

Tim McCourt, Global Head of Equities, FX, and Alternative Products at CME Group, highlighted that the decision is driven by client requirements for robust risk management tools.

“Client demand for risk management in the digital asset market is at an all-time high,” McCourt noted, pointing to the need for clients to manage exposure “at any time.”

• Data indicates $3 trillion in notional volume recorded across cryptocurrency products in 2025.
• Year-to-date average daily volume (ADV) reached 407,200 contracts in 2026, a 46% increase year-over-year.
• Open interest has climbed 7% to 335,400 contracts, signaling sustained institutional participation.