CME Group, recognized as the largest derivatives exchange globally, announced on Thursday its intention to initiate 24/7 trading for crypto options and futures contracts starting May 29, pending necessary regulatory endorsement.

“CME Group Cryptocurrency futures and options will trade continuously on CME Globex with at least a two-hour weekly maintenance period over the weekend,” the company stated in its announcement.

All trading activities on public holidays and weekends will be processed the next business day, according to CME Group’s report.

Bitcoin futures volume and open interest on the CME exchange. Source: CME Group

The average daily trading volume of crypto futures and options in 2026 has seen a marked increase, up 46% from the previous year, as stated by CME.

This announcement emerged after a joint declaration from the SEC and CFTC in September regarding the prospective shift to around-the-clock capital markets in the United States.

“Certain markets, including foreign exchange, gold, and crypto assets, already trade continuously. Further extending trading hours could align US markets with the ongoing evolution of a global, always-on economy,” indicated the regulators’ statement.

In March 2025, Nasdaq unveiled its plans to expand its trading hours to provide 24-hour trading five days a week, with an aim to implement these extended hours in the latter half of 2026, according to Nasdaq president Tal Cohen’s announcement.

Last month, NYSE revealed that it is in the process of developing a new platform for trading tokenized stocks and ETFs that will feature 24/7 trading hours and enable interaction with blockchain systems for multichain settlement and custody, as outlined in NYSE’s announcement.

*Related: CME CEO Duffy states exchange explores issuing its own token *