CME Group, the derivatives markets giant based in Chicago, United States, announced this Thursday, February 19, 2026 that its futures and options contracts on bitcoin (BTC) and cryptocurrencies will be available for trading 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The measure, which will come into force on May 29, is subject to the corresponding regulatory review.
Currently, the hours enabled for these operations are Sunday to Friday from 6 PM to 5 PM (New York time) the next day. There is a 60-minute interruption each day and the market is closed from Friday at 5 PM to Sunday at 6 PM.
The company’s decision responds to a substantial increase in the activity of institutional investors. According to the company’s official statement, during the year 2025 the volume of its bitcoin and cryptocurrency products reached a record of 3 billion (trillionsin English) of dollars, reflecting a growing need for risk management tools that are not interrupted by traditional market closures.
It is worth clarifying that a weekly maintenance period of at least two hours will be maintained during the weekends.
Tim McCourt, global head of Equities and Alternative Products at CME Group, noted that Always-on access ensures clients can “manage their exposure and trade with confidence at any time”.
Regarding the logistics of the operations, the CME detailed that transactions carried out on holidays or weekends will have the trading date on the next business day. Additionally, clearing, settlement and regulatory reporting will also be processed on the immediately following business day.
As NoticiasVE has been reporting, bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies are gaining prominence at the CME Group. Last month, futures for chainlink (LINK), cardano (ADA), and stellar (XLM) began trading on that exchange. In addition, CME would be evaluating launching its own cryptocurrency, in alliance with Google.