Sep 28, 2026
Summer Mersinger, former CFTC commissioner and current CEO of the Blockchain Association, announced she will step down on October 16, with former CEO Kristin Smith returning as interim leader. The departure comes shortly after the Senate blocked the CLARITY Act.
Coinbase filed with the CFTC through Coinbase Derivatives to list single-stock perpetual futures in the US, seeking to bring the popular crypto instrument to individual equities including Apple, Tesla, and Nvidia.
Binance.US CEO Stephen Gregory announced the exchange will apply for a CFTC Designated Contract Market license next month to launch prediction markets, joining competitors Gemini, Coinbase, Robinhood, Kalshi and Polymarket in the space.
Fanatics purchased BGC's Water Street Labs and CX Clearinghouse, gaining the ability to list and settle its own event contracts on a federally regulated platform. The deal positions Fanatics to compete directly with DraftKings and FanDuel in the rapidly growing prediction markets sector.
Polymarket's affiliated entity filed with the National Futures Association on July 3 to offer margin trading in the US, though activation still requires CFTC approval. The move would allow users to open positions with a fraction of capital required upfront.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission opened public comment on proposed rules for prediction markets that would prohibit contracts dependent on war, assassination, or the ouster of foreign leaders, while also banning certain sports prop bets.
Prediction market platform Polymarket engaged blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis to monitor trading activity in real-time for insider trading and market manipulation as it seeks $15 billion valuation and CFTC approval for U.S. relaunch.
Coinbase filed with the CFTC to activate Trade at Settlement for XRP futures on May 1, allowing institutions to execute large block orders at the official closing price. XRP joins Bitcoin, Ethereum, gold, and crude oil in having this institutional trading feature.
Coinbase removed New York Attorney General's prediction markets lawsuit from state to federal court, setting up a jurisdictional fight over CFTC authority versus state gambling laws. The move follows New York's lawsuit against Coinbase and Gemini over alleged illegal prediction market gambling.
A Nevada state judge extended a temporary restraining order against Kalshi's sports prediction markets, ruling that the platform's baseball game contracts are indistinguishable from ordinary gambling and require a gaming license. The order extends a ban originally issued on March 20.
A US court ordered KuCoin operator Peken Global Limited to pay a $500,000 penalty to the CFTC and permanently block American traders from its platform, following a separate $297-300 million DOJ settlement over similar conduct.
Stablecoin issuer Tether has hired Big Four accounting firm KPMG to conduct its first full independent audit of USDT reserves and brought in PwC to prepare internal systems, according to the Financial Times. The move comes as Tether pursues regulatory approval under the GENIUS Act and eyes a multibillion-dollar equity raise.