CME Group launched cash-settled futures contracts for Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap's UNI token on October 19, 2026, marking UNI as the first decentralized exchange governance token listed on the platform. Offered in standard and micro sizes, the contracts fulfill regulatory prerequisites for pending ETF filings by establishing a required six-month regulated trading history amid rising institutional demand for crypto derivatives.
Launch of Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap futures
- ▪CME Group launched cash-settled Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap UNI futures contracts for trading on October 19, 2026, following regulatory approval
- ▪Uniswap's UNI token became the first decentralized exchange governance token listed as a futures contract on CME Group
- ▪CME Group added Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap futures to satisfy institutional investor demand for regulated hedging tools in liquid alternative cryptocurrency markets
- ▪The addition of Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap contracts expanded CME Group's cryptocurrency futures product lineup to 11 total products alongside existing Bitcoin and Ether contracts
Price and open interest market reaction
- ▪Following CME Group's September 22, 2026 Bitcoin Cash and UNI futures announcement, Uniswap UNI token prices rose 15% to 19% to reach between $10.43 and $10.90, while open interest in UNI-related derivatives exceeded $1 billion
- ▪Following CME Group's September 22, 2026 Bitcoin Cash and UNI futures announcement, Bitcoin Cash prices increased by 25% to 30%, and Bitcoin Cash futures open interest nearly doubled to approximately $295 million
- ▪Prior to the October 19, 2026 CME futures launch, Uniswap UNI token prices declined from peaks following CME Group's September 22, 2026 announcement back down to the $7.30 to $7.50 range
- ▪By October 18, 2026, Bitcoin Cash futures open interest declined back to approximately 560,000 BCH, returning near levels seen before CME Group's announcement, prior to its Bitcoin Cash and UNI futures launch
Specifications of new futures contracts
- ▪Standard CME Group futures cover 250 BCH for Bitcoin Cash and 10,000 UNI for Uniswap, while Micro contracts cover 25 BCH and 1,000 UNI
- ▪Both Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap CME futures are eligible for block trades and Basis Trade at Index Close transaction variants
- ▪CME Group's Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap UNI futures are cash-settled in U.S. dollars against CME CF reference rates without physical delivery of underlying tokens
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