Key facts
- Kraken plans to launch CFTC-regulated Bitcoin perpetual futures contracts in the US within 30 days.
- The contracts will be available to eligible US institutional clients on Kraken Pro.
- Perpetual futures are derivatives with no expiration date, offering continuous exposure to an asset.
- This launch aims to bring offshore crypto derivatives trading into a regulated, onshore framework.
- Kraken's parent company, Payward, recently acquired Bitnomial Exchange, a CFTC-regulated exchange.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has approved perpetual futures contracts tied to Bitcoin's spot price, paving the way for exchanges like Kraken to offer these instruments to US institutional clients. This development signifies a move towards greater regulatory clarity and product availability within the US crypto derivatives market, which has largely seen such activity offshore.